Conversation Partners: Back to Where it All Began
by priestess123
Summary: Three Years have gone by. Uma's returned. How much has changed since then? A continuation of Conversation Partners. A silly love story between a boy and a girl. Feel free to read and review. Thanks for looking! PS I still love Kaidoh!
1. Chapter 1

_Conversation Partners 2: The Return (OMG ITS A SEQUEL!!!)_

A/N: Ya-hoi! I'm back! About three years ago I started Conversation Partners, and it took almost a year and a half to finish it! But you know what? I'm glad I did. Whenever I started a fanfic I always started strong, wrote for a few weeks, months, and then let it die out as soon as I hit writer's block. Fortunately, I was able to continue with Conversation Partners and I really appreciate everyone who stuck with me till the end and for those who stumble upon it as they search for other fics. Truly, you are all the reason why I finished. Furthermore, you are all the reason why I've decided to write a sequel to Conversation Partners. How long will this story take? Who knows, but I dedicate this story to all of you and pray that you will all be patient and follow it until the very end! *LOVES*

PS= There's been a time-skip, so don't hate me too much if the years are off! BEAR WITH ME!!! And while I AM a fan of the boy/boy kink, this story is not. Please don't hate me too much! *dodgesthrowingobjects* Feel free to read and review! Thank you for looking! ^_^

PPS= Oh and I don't own Prince of Tennis and I don't intend to profit from this.

**~ Chapter 1~**

She stared at the window and watched the moving truck roll away down the street. It was official now. She sighed and turned around. Her mother had just set down the last box with a thud.

"Well, that's everything, are you excited Uma?" Her mother asked as she dusted her hands off.

Ito Uma shrugged her shoulders and tightened her grip on the small cardboard box she was holding. "Oh, yes, I suppose…"

"It's so nice to be home! I'm so glad your father got transferred back to Japan. America is a nice place, but I'm so glad to be home again!" her mother said excitedly. After her father's heart attack three years ago left him bed-bound for three weeks in America, the company he worked for decided to transfer him to the American Branch in Anaheim. It had been right at the end of second term, before the Middle School Tennis Nationals. When they had arrived in America, she had arrived just in time to begin her freshmen year of high school.

"Me too," She said. 'Even though I didn't really leave Japan on good terms….' She thought a bit sadly.

"Just think Uma!" Her mother continued as she started trekking through the house. The renters had taken good care of it while they were away. "You're back in time to finish your senior year at Seishun! Isn't that great?"

"It is," Uma replied shortly. And it was great. She had already been half-way her Junior year in America and she was so happy that she didn't have to make it up back in Japan. She could begin her senior year with everyone else.

"Did you ever keep in touch with any of your friends at Seishun?" Her mother asked suddenly. Ayako knew that Uma didn't really have many friends. And she had felt terrible that she had taken her daughter away from her very first love. While they were in America she had seen Uma change slowly. Ayako hoped that Japan would bring her daughter back to her.

Uma gripped her box harder. "Well…..I….." she stuttered turning slightly pink.

Ayako smiled smugly, "You must make sure to bring them over! We'll have a house warming party." She insisted as she picked up a box of utensils and headed towards the kitchen.

Uma sighed and let her shoulders slump. "Right mom, I'll get on that. I'll get on that…"

~*~

"No, no! Use your angles! Make the follow through natural! You're trying to force it!" Seigaku High School's Tennis captain shouted at a first year. He was standing at the edge of the courts watching the new prospects work on their form, Horio and Katsuo were leading them through the drills.

"I'm sorry senpai! I will try harder!" The first year bowed quickly and got back in line, his face screwed up in the utmost concentration.

"Man, Kaidoh-taichou, you sure have the kohei scared already!" Ryoma commented lazily as he walked into the main court, a can of Ponta in his hand. Kaidoh resisted the urge to smack him.

"Shut up Echizen….." Kaidoh hissed. He refused to let that brat get under his skin this early in the morning. Besides, he thought as he turned towards the sound of running feet, there was a bigger idiot that needed his attention.

"Hey! Hey! Guess what? Guess what?" Momoshiro called out as he rushed up to Kaidoh. Kaidoh rolled his eyes. He was NOT interested in the latest piece of gossip. "I heard we're getting a new transfer student this term!" Momo grinned cheerily.

Kaidoh hissed. This was big news? "So what? We get transfers all the time!"

Momo continued, "No, but this one is different! She's a girl and from AMERICA and a FORMER student!" he emphasized hoping the message would start to sink in.

"A girl? Really? Like I've never seen a girl before!" Kaidoh exclaimed, layering the rarely seen sarcasm as thickly as possible. Momo and Echizen exchanged slightly surprised looks. Nevertheless, Momo nodded excitedly a huge grin plastered on his face.

"But an AMERICAN girl, Kaidoh!! Eh, eh, right?" Momo goaded with his elbows. Kaidoh turned away abruptly his cheeks turning slightly pink. He would NOT be dragged into conversation.

"Shut up! Go run some laps!" he said as he walked away towards the first years.

Momo laughed and scratched his head, "I knew he'd take it well!"

Ryoma looked at him confused. "What are you talking about senpai?"

~*~

"…and as you can tell Seishun has proud tradition that expands for decades….." The principal recited as he lead Uma and her mother down the third year hallway. Uma was only half-paying attention. The high school section wasn't much different from the Middle School section, except the desks were a little bigger.

"Yes…" she said slowly as she paused and looked out the window. Suddenly a flood of memories came rushing back to her and she stopped and stared intently at the tennis courts that had come into view. She could make the tennis team on the courts. "Already working hard I see," she said to no one in particular.

The principal and her mother paused at her comment and turned around. He followed her stare and his face lit up. "Oh! You've noticed the pride of Seishun; Our Nationally ranked Tennis team!" He said eagerly. "Are you a fan?"

"You could say that,"

The principal beamed. "Very nice! Our women's team is recruiting; perhaps you would be interested in trying out?"

Uma shook her head. "I don't do sports."

The principal nodded, slightly disappointed.

"Oh….anyways, if you would follow me this way….." he said gesturing towards Third Year Commons.

Uma was still looking at the courts. There she saw it! That green bandanna! "….Kaoru…." she whispered.

"I'm sorry what was that?"

Uma jumped and turned away from the window. "Eh? I'm sorry, it was nothing…." She said apologetically bowing quickly. "I do like tennis! I'm not a good athlete is all. I'm sorry, sir!"

"I see…right this way then…" The principal began walking away.

Her mother turned towards her and held out her hand, "Uma?"

Uma finally peeled herself from the window. 'Get over yourself Ito that was a long time ago!' Smiling, she took her mother's hand and started after the principal. "It's nothing Mom, nothing at all."

~*~

Just as he was getting ready to serve Kaidoh felt as though he was being watched. He paused and looked over his should toward the school. Momo, his opponent, stood up from his position and called over,

"Kaidoh! What's the deal?"

"What?" Kaidoh asked slightly distracted. He glanced up at the window panes. He could have sworn he just saw someone standing.

"Something wrong?" Momo called over.

Kaidoh shook his head. "No, it was just….no, it was nothing." Hissing, he bounced the ball a couple of times and refocused his energy on the match at hand.

Momo smiled with relief. Viper was back! "Right! Be en guard mamushi!" he challenged pointing his racket at Kaidoh.

Kaidoh smirked sardonically and tossed the ball in the air. "Bring it Idiot!"

~*~

Kaidoh walked down the busy halls of Seishun High School to his homeroom. It definitely felt like first day. Girls were clumping together in the hallways, boys were racing each other down the halls and as he passed classrooms he could hear the excited chatter of catching up.

"Kaidoh-kun! Kaidoh-kun!"

Kaidoh paused and turned around at the sound of his name. Coming toward him was a small petite girl. "Eh? Oh, Touya-chan! Good morning how was your break?" Kaidoh bowed politely.

Touya Ritsu giggled and bowed back. Kaidoh was always so formal and polite! "Oh, very nice, thank you, Kaidoh-kun." She replied. She was excited about today! She knew that Kaidoh would be excited too! "What great news! Isn't it exciting?" she asked eagerly.

Kaidoh was confused, "News?"

Ritsu laughed. Silly boy! Trying to play dumb! "Yes," she exaggerated. "Uma-chan is back from America! She just came a few days ago! She's going to be back in our class!"

The news had hit him like a ton of bricks.

"U-Uma is back…?" he asked completely bamboozled. This was NOT what he was expecting on the first day of school!

Ritsu laughed, completely missing his reaction. "Of course you knew this, I mean you two were so close, but I just had to confirm it! Oh, I did miss Uma-chan, she was the only one who really liked me for me, you know?" she rattled on. "Of course! Oh! The bell! I will see you in class 'kay?" Ritsu waved and scampered off leaving Kaidoh frozen in place, her words slowly sinking in.

"Uma? You're home?"


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Ya-hoi! Two Chapters in one night! Pretty ambitious! As you may have noticed, these chapters are considerably smaller than in Conversation Partners. But don't fret! I can foresee them getting longer as the story continues to develop. Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment if so moved! *LOVES* ENJOY!

PS= Prince of Tennis doesn't belong to me...what a pity....

**~ Chapter 2 ~**

Kaidoh walked into his homeroom just as the final bell rang. He slowly shuffled to the middle of the room to an empty desk. All around him the constant back to school chatter continued. As he sat there waiting for Sensei he picked up snippets of conversation.

"….bought a new car…."

"Yuji bought me it…."

"….transfer student from America…!"

That caught his attention. Kaidoh sat up and strained his ears to catch more of the conversation without seeming nosey.

"…wasn't she in our class….?"

"Yeah, but her family got transferred…."

"…oh yeah…"

"Hey, Kaidoh!"

Kaidoh sat up straight and turned around to the back rows. Most of the boys were sitting there.

"Good luck this year with Tennis!" They exclaimed giving him a thumbs-up. They all knew Kaidoh was captain this year. And they all had high hopes for their tennis team.

"Ah," he replied raising his hand in acknowledgement. Kaidoh Kaoru's attitude never changed, not even for tennis.

To his left, he heard some fangirls squeal in excitement. "Oo! Kaidoh-kun is all sulky….he's Soooo cool!" He resisted the urge to hiss at them.

Finally, their sensei walked into the classroom and stood at the podium up front. She raised her hands. "Attention class! Attention!" She called as she brought the chatter to a simmer. The students quickly filled into their seats. "First of all, welcome back! This is a big year for all you, your senior year." The class cheered. Kaidoh smiled. Yes, his final year of high school. He was ready to be done! Sensei smiled and nodded. "Let's make the best of it okay?"

"Yes, Sensei!" The class chorused.

"Good! Now, I am pleased to add one new addition to our class this year." Everyone sat up in their seats and looked toward the door of the classroom. Sensei slid the door opened and motioned to the person outside. Kaidoh made out a silhouette of a girl from behind the doorway. Sensei turned back to the class. "This young lady comes to us after a three year stint in America. Her father's work transferred back to Japan and now she will be with us for her final year of High School." The girl walked to the front of the classroom and faced the class. Sensei put an around her and smiled. "I would like you all to give a warm welcome to Ito Uma."

The hair was shorter, she had cut it above the shoulders and her cheekbones were more defined. But the eyes, the eyes, Kaidoh noticed, hadn't changed at all. They were still as gorgeous and captivating as they had been three years ago. He took a sharp breath.

Uma took a deep breath and flashed her brightest smile. It was now or never. "Good morning!" she chirped reminding herself and everyone else of the Ito Uma from middle school. "I am Ito Uma, pleased to meet you all…" she paused thoughtfully, "Again."

The class broke out in whispers and giggles. "It really is true…it's her!" They murmured to each other. Kaidoh could feel his classmates stares bore into his head. They knew they were watching his reaction. He knew they saw him inhale. He felt slightly ridiculous.

The class wasn't stupid. They KNEW Kaidoh and Uma had been more than just friends three years ago. It was even more apparent when Sensei directed Uma to the seat directly behind Kaidoh and his cheeks flushed just the tiniest hint of pink earning him a handful of giggles from the girls in the front rows.

Kaidoh hissed under his breath. The ball was in his court. Now what?

~*~

Uma was beat. Who would have thought that after three years abroad would make one so popular! She hadn't been sure if she would make it out of the school alive. At the end of the day she had been swarmed by her classmates and millions of questions. Some of them had been attempted in English, which secretly made her laugh. She had never liked unwanted attention and this was just too much for one day! She eventually made it to the front doors. As soon as she stepped outside everyone scattered like leaves in the wind leaving her on the front steps by herself, which really wasn't a problem. The problem was the one person she really wanted to talk to but had run out the room as soon as the bell rang like his tail was on fire. Not that she expected anything less of that. She was, after all the reason for his hasty exit.

As she made her way towards the front gates she heard someone call out to her. "Ito? Ito Uma? Is it really you!?"

Suddenly she was being attacked! She tripped over her feet only to be caught in the arms of her pursuer. "Ack!" She squeaked as the boy set her upright. She dusted herself off and looked up. Her eyes grew wide with recognition. "Momo? Momoshiro Takeshi? Oh my gosh! You've grown at least three feet since I've seen you!! How are you?" she exclaimed as she was pulled in bone-crunching hug from Momo. She was so overjoyed to see Momo; her first genuine feeling of happiness since arriving this morning.

"Oh-ho! I'm doing great!" Momo said quickly striking a jaunty pose. Uma laughed. He sounded more like Eiji-senpai than ever! "How are you? How was America? Do you have an accent?" he asked as he grasped her hands and did a little bounce.

Uma grinned. "No, Momo, I don't think I do…"

Momo waved a finger in front of her. "Tsk, tsk, tsk!" he chided. He quickly changed subjects. "Say, why did you and Kaidoh keep your arrival a secret? I wanted to know too!" he said piteously. He really liked Uma! He really did. She had been so much fun way back when. He hoped they could all get together sometime!

Uma shuffled her feet and looked at the ground, her mood turned sour. "Uh…well, about that…" she stuttered turning red. Momo cocked his head. He got the picture.

"You DID keep in touch since you've been gone, right?" he prodded gently.

"…Umm…." Uma didn't know what to say. Finally she shook her head. She could feel tears starting to swell in her eyes.

Momo about fell over. This was shocker! "What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!? You mean you didn't tell Kaidoh you were coming home…!"

"No."

Momo bit his lip. "Oh man, I bet he was shocked! What are you going to do?" he asked slightly bewildered.

Uma looked up at him, "What do you mean, what am I going to do?"

Momo didn't think the question was too difficult. "Well…weren't you guys going out? I mean…are you going to get back together?" he asked again. He really thought Uma and Kaidoh had been a good couple, not that he'd ever admit that out loud of course. But the fact they hadn't kept in touch was really odd! Surely there was something she wasn't telling!

"I really doubt that…."

"Why…?"

Suddenly Uma looked down at her watch, which she wasn't wearing. "Oh, I have to go Momo! Have fun at tennis! Bye!" she slurred quickly and took off like a rocket.

Momo watched her high-tail it out the school gates and scratched his head. "Well, that was weird!" and he continued his way to the tennis courts.

~*~

It was the first official day of tennis practice and already everyone knew something was bit off about their captain.

"Man, Kaidoh-taichou seems really distracted today, doesn't he?" commented Bisco, one of the first years, as they stretched out on the courts.

"Yeah, and more irritable than usual!" His buddy, Ryouji, agreed.

"I wonder what's wrong with him." Bisco asked passively unaware that another set of ears could hear their conversation;

"I heard it's because of a girl!" Ryouji snorted. The two of them chuckled to themselves.

"What did you hear!?" boomed a very irritated voice. Both boys jumped and turned around to face their very angry Taichou.

"Ah! Kaidoh-taichou!" they stammered. If looks could kill, they would have been dead….twice. Kaidoh pointed to the gates of the court.

"Thirty laps! Now!"

"Yes sir!" And they took off.

"Geez, Kaidoh, they're only first years…." Momo said as he came up next to Kaidoh.

"Shut up!" Kaidoh growled. Now was not the time!

Momo's face softened. "Are you okay?"

Kaidoh jerked his head around and narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Are you okay? I mean, with Uma back in town. Did you know she was coming?" Momo asked sincerely. He knew Kaidoh went off into his moods every now and then, but never during practice. He was really off today and Momo was pretty sure it was because of Uma.

Kaidoh didn't know how to respond. "….."

"No? Didn't you guys keep in touch at all in the past three years?" Momo asked.

Finally Kaidoh sighed and turned away. No point in beating around the bush. The Idiot would find out sooner or later. "Not really," he started pinching the bridge of his nose. "She stopped writing about two years ago…I tried to keep writing, but I never got anything in return. So…so, I figured she had moved on."

Momo nodded wisely, thinking it over. "I don't think she has." He finally concluded.

Kaidoh turned back around and faced his Vice-Captain. "What do you mean?"

Momo held up his hands in defense. "Look, alls I'm saying is that you two can't avoid each other, you're in the same class for Pete's sake! You may as well bite the bullet and talk to her. Maybe you can spark something up!" he suggested helpfully.

Kaidoh snorted. "Heh…I always knew you were an idiot…." He muttered as he headed back to the clubhouse.

"You never know unless you try Mamushi!" Momo called as Kaidoh walked away. Momo grinned. He knew how to get him! "Sweep her off her feet! Give her a big smacker!" Momo was pleased to see Kaidoh stop dead in his tracks to gain his composure. Mission accomplished.

Kaidoh used all his will to keep from turning around and beating the crap out him. "I'm going to kill him," he said through gritted teeth. "I really am….."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Ya-hoi! Did you give up on me? I'm sorry, life got in the way, and that's the only excuse I give you. But thank you for waiting patiently! I now present CHAPTER 3! Thanks for reading!!

Disclaimer: Remember, this is purely a work of fiction. Kaidoh doesn't belong to me…=(

**~Chapter 3~**

There was really no way around it; Kaidoh was going to have to talk to his long-lost girlfriend at some point in time. He just wasn't expecting their first conversation since she returned to be in English, during class.

"Okay class!" called out Jamie-sensei, the American exchange teacher. She was fresh out of university and as soon as she walked in the first day of class everyone saw OTAKU written all over her. But, she was very nice and patient. She answered all their odd questions about America and in return she taught them how to speak American, which Kaidoh found out, was a LOT different than the stupid textbooks. "Time for English Conversation! Please partner up with someone in class and turn to page 14 in your text books!"

Kaidoh quickly pulled out his workbook and flipped to said page. He then turned to his right to see if Hatori Bunta would partner up with him. But Bunta was with Yamaguchi Kyoko. Kaidoh turned to his left to ask Natsuka Gogo, but she was partnered up with her best friend Saitou Junko. All around him his classmates had chosen partners. It was pretty obvious that he was avoiding turning around in his seat. Everyone saw it and they all whispered behind their hands. Finally he sighed. There was nothing left to do, then, was there? He was going to have to turn around. As he worked up the courage to spin in his seat, Uma broke the ice for him.

"Hmm…that's the bad thing about popularity; one minute everyone is trying to talk at you in English and then when it comes time to talk TO someone in English they all disappear!" She said lightly as she stood up from her desk and walked to the front of his. She looked down at him and smiled nervously. "It looks like everyone has a partner…would you like to speak with me?"

Kaidoh exhaled the breath he was holding. Her eyes were so beautiful. "Oh…sure," he said lamely. Nice one, he thought.

Uma sat down in the chair. "Cool, thanks," she said as she flipped open her book.

Jamie-sensei had written their assignment on the board, "Please read the conversation, 'How do I get to the Hotel', and complete the worksheet at the end of the chapter." She instructed. "Make sure you turn in your work by the end of the hour! If you have any questions, ask! Got that Hiro?" she called out to the boys in the back. Ryuugi Hiro, the captain of the basketball team and class clown, smiled and gave Jamie-sensei thumbs up. No one knew for sure if he had understood her; his English comprehension was terrible. Jamie-sensei smiled. "You may begin!"

Neither one of them said anything. The silence was so awkward Kaidoh felt almost sick to his stomach.

"Do you want to be the first speaker?" Uma finally asked to get the ball rolling. The conversation was very simple, more so a review for them. And the assignment in the back was a piece of cake! This shouldn't take them long at all.

Kaidoh shrugged his shoulders and nodded in agreement. He was trying to avoid eye-contact with her. "Sure," he said. He cleared his throat and began reading in slow, precise English. "'Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the Washington Hotel?'"

Uma couldn't help but smile. His voice still had that rich deep timber to it. His accent was so cute, just like she remembered. She answered back, slow and precise to make sure he understood, "'yes, go down First Street five blocks, turn right onto Elm Street. Travel two blocks north and the Washington Hotel is on your left.'"

"'Thank you.'" Kaidoh replied and stopped. That was it for the conversation. There was that awful silence again. Finally, he glanced up at Uma. She was smiling. Oh, how he remembered that smile!

"You're English is really good. You've kept up with it very well." Uma commented lightly as she made a few notes on the pages.

Kaidoh couldn't help but smirk. "Hmmpf…thank you." He said softly as he scanned back through the passage. English was one of his best subjects, mostly due to all the time he had spent talking with Uma.

"These books haven't changed much at all since Middle School," he heard her say. Uma laughed as she flipped through some more pages. "Still wandering around lost looking for the hotel and train station, will we ever find what we're looking for?" she said rhetorically.

Kaidoh cocked his head and gave her a look, "Hmm…..you're talking too fast in English." He said. Her voice was a little deeper than it had been in Middle school, but it was still so pleasant to listen to. Uma blushed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she murmured. She hadn't realized that she had started speaking in her normal tone. Of course Kaidoh would not have been able to follow!

Kaidoh raised his hand to pause her, "Don't be. I like it…." He said slowly and then slowly looked away out the window. "I always liked it…." He said softly. Uma stared at him, eyes wide. He was blushing; just slightly.

"Ah….I see," she replied. 'Nice Ito,' she thought. "Well, do you have any questions about the sentence structure or any specific vocabulary?" she asked quickly as she brought herself up to speed. Now was NOT the time for reminiscing.

"Well," Kaidoh pondered as he turned his book towards her and pointed to a group of supplementary vocabulary printed after the conversation. "How would you pronounce this?" he asked pointing to the word STATION. "Stat-teon?" he sounded out. Uma smiled and shook her head.

"Close, but not quite, it's pronounced 'STAY-SHUN', like train station or bus station. The 'tion' makes a 'sh' sound when put together." She explained. Kaidoh gave her a doubtful look.

"Then why wouldn't they spell with like a 'sh'?" he asked seriously. Uma laughed and shrugged her shoulders.

"It's English, who knows?"

"No kidding! No wonder it's so hard to learn!" He retorted. Uma laughed, glad that the tension from earlier had seem to disappear. Kaidoh was also glad that he could speak easily with her. Maybe they could still be friends….

"Kaoru, Uma, is everything going okay?" Jamie-sensei asked as she made her rounds. She was speaking in English. Uma smiled and nodded and looked at Kaidoh. Kaidoh nodded and replied back in English, "Everything is good Sensei."

Jamie clapped her hands. "Excellent pronunciation, Kaoru! With Uma as your conversation partner, I am certain you will do well in English! Keep up the good work!" she exclaimed excitedly. The rest of the class paused and looked over and Kaidoh and Uma. Kaidoh was blushing and Uma had scrunched in her seat. They all started laughing; Jamie-sensei didn't know about Kaidoh and Uma and the whole scene was funny, just like old times.

As Jamie-sensei walked away Uma leaned over and whispered in Japanese, "Did you understand any of that?"

"She was speaking too fast, but I think she said I was going to do well," Kaidoh replied. "Are all Americans that…excited?"

"Pretty much,"

"Ah,"

"Well, now that we're done with the dialect, want to work on the questions?" Uma asked.

Kaidoh nodded, "Yeah,"

~*~

Kaidoh walked out to the tennis courts in a higher spirits than previous days. After he and Uma finished their worksheet they continued talking in English. He had forgotten how easy it was to slip into English when with Uma. Nobody had really been able to keep up with his English after Uma had left and Conversations had been proven difficult; and since Kaidoh had little patience for idiots no one really wanted to be his partner. Their conversation had drifted towards tennis, as they usually had in the past, and Uma always listened enthusiastically and never hesitated to correct his punctuation. It almost felt like she hadn't left at all. Almost.

Of course Kaidoh wanted to talk to Uma about her experience in America, but he wasn't for sure if his heart could take it. Even though the spoke so easily and casually during class, three years had changed them….a lot! There was literally a huge gap between them and so many questions that were left unasked and unanswered. But, Kaidoh Kaoru never backed down from a challenge, he would get the answers he seeked; he just didn't know when.

"Well, well, this is the first time I think I've seen you in a good mood since school started!" Momo pronounced as he came running up from behind him. Kaidoh hissed but merely smirked. Momo's eyes got wide. "Did you finally talk to her?"

"During class,"

"And?"

"And what?"

"What did you talk about?" Momo asked excited.

"How to get to the Hotel,"

"What!?" Momo tripped over his shoes and about took out a basket of nearby tennis balls. Kaidoh shook his head; he was NOT going to get wrapped up in Momo's game.

"We have a roster meeting with Ryuuzaki-sensei after practice, don't forget!" Kaidoh said simply as he waved in the team. Momo shook himself off and grinned. Oh yeah, Kaidoh was back to normal.

~*~

Uma had to admit she was relieved that she had broken the ice around Kaidoh. She had been avoiding him for a few days and knew it was inevitable they would be forced to speak to one another. Uma noticed that Kaidoh, though not by much, had definitely changed in her three year absence. However, one thing had not changed. They could always talk about tennis. In one afternoon, she had gotten caught up on the National Championship Seigaku had one three years ago and she knew there was more stories to come from that later. Yet, she really hadn't supplied much about herself. She just listened; she would never get tired from just listening to sound of his voice and to the passion and drive he emulated when he spoke to her. Uma hadn't forgotten just how amazing Kaidoh Kaoru was.

She stretched out on her bed and sighed. There was so much she wanted to tell him, so many things she had to say. But she really didn't know where to begin and how to start it.

She was just going to have take things one step at a time. She rolled over, reached down, and pulled out a small box from under her bed. She stared at it for a long time before she finally opened it and looked through its contents.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi-yo! Whoa...new chapter....already? You betcha!! ^_^ I don't know if I like this one very well, I may possibly go back and revamp. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. Feel free to review if so moved. I really appreciate the support, even if it's to criticize, I DO take all things into consideration. Thanks for reading!!!! *LOVES*

PS= Prince of Tennis does not belong to me

PPS= Do you know how hard it is to write text messages in stories? More difficult than you'd think...possibly.

**~Chapter 4~**

Three Years Ago:

_Uma was lost. Where on earth was Mrs. Rockworth's room? She started at her schedule as if it would speak and say something to aide her. She fainting heard the rapid sound of shoes on tile. Grimacing she groaned outwardly as a boy with dark blonde hair and a red Pikachu t-shirt came running up to her. 'Here it comes…'_

"_Hey there new girl," the boy asked breathlessly as he brushed his bangs out of his face. She noted he had green eyes. "Are you really from Japan?"_

_She totally called it. Ever since she had arrived, people had been asking her if she was from Japan. Apparently no one could tell. "Yes, I am," she replied a little stiffly._

"_Why don't you have an accent then?" He asked innocently. He could have sworn all Foreigners had some sort of accent when they spoke English, but this girl had no accent at all! That was kind of a disappointment. He really liked girls with accents._

_"Because I'm part American that's why," Uma said with contempt. How rude! The boy nodded as if he understood._

"_What's your name?" he continued. Uma was getting annoyed; class was going to begin in a few minutes. Why wouldn't he leave?_

"_Uma Ito" she said distractedly as she stared at the bulletin board outside the office. Maybe that would help her find her class._

_The boy got excited. "Uma? Like Uma Thurman?" he asked eagerly. "I LOVE Uma Thurman!"_

_Uma actually smiled a little bit. "No, Uma as in 'horse'."_

"_Horse?"  
_

"_Uma is the Japanese word for horse," she supplied a bit unwillingly._

_"Oh," he sounded slightly disappointed. "…I'm Gene Strauss," he said extending his hand to her._

_Uma cocked an eyebrow. "Like the pants?" she retorted as she shook it._

_Gene laughed heartily. "Touche…no, just like my grandfather,"  
_

_Uma nodded. "Cool. Well, Gene, it was very nice to meet you, but I've got to find my first class." She said as she gave up staring at the board and headed towards the halls. Maybe she would just find it by dumb luck._

_Gene wasn't giving up that easily. He followed her, "Well, now, wait a minute, what's your first class? This school is pretty big; it's easy to get lost in the shuffle." He said as they pushed into the flow of students._

_Uma caved, "English with Mrs. Rockworth," she said holding her schedule out to him. Maybe if he helped her he'd go away._

_"Hey! Me too! I'll walk with you!" No such luck, today Ito, she thought. Gene grinned at her._

"_Sure, why not?" Uma shrugged. Well, at least he's friendly, like a dog._

_"Thanks!" Gene cheered as he grabbed her arm and dragged her through the crowd._

_~*~_

Uma woke with a start. She was having that weird dream again. "Stupid dreams just go away for once!" She muttered to herself as she rubbed her eyes. She glanced over at the clock. It was glowing a bright 4:33. She had at least three more hours before she had to wake up. Sighing she rolled over and stared at her wall. Suddenly her phone began buzzing and shaking. She sat up with a start and reached over and grabbed it.

_Uma! Did you make to Japan okay? Haven't heard from you, thought maybe they made you into sushi! (^3^) -Gene_

She smiled to herself. 'Good ole Gene.' Gene had been her first and best friend while in America. They had done a lot together. 'I wonder what time it is over there,' she thought as she quickly sent a reply. Before she put her phone down, she saw another unread message in her Inbox. 'Two, Gene?' She opened it up:

_I would like to meet with you after school. Please call when you get a chance. –Kaidoh_

'Kaoru?' she thought slightly bewildered. What did he want now? Should she texted him back now or just wait until school to talk to him personally? Why didn't she notice this earlier? Shaking her head she decided she would go ahead and send the message, surely his phone wouldn't wake him up right? Biting her lip she sent him a reply then sat the phone on her stand. Sighing she tried to relax. It was just a text message!

Suddenly her phone was going off again! Gene? She thought. No! It was from Kaidoh! He WAS awake. With slightly shaking hands, Uma read the message. She couldn't help it, she started laughing.

~*~

He didn't really know if the message would go through. Maybe she had changed her number after she left. But it was too late now, he had sent the invitation and now all he could was wait.

He hated waiting.

He hated waiting a lot.

Kaidoh hissed into his pillow. He couldn't sleep. He looked over at his clock. It just changed the minute; 4:35. He didn't have to wake up for another hour. Why was this bothering him so much?

Suddenly his phone began to buzz and rattle. He jumped. Who the hell would call him this early in the morning? Collecting himself he grabbed his phone and looked down, he had gotten a message!

_Kaidoh, I will meet you tomorrow at the city courts. –Uma_

Kaidoh stared at the screen. Well, that answered a lot of questions in his mind. Finally he blinked. Why was she up so late?

_Why are you up so late?_ He texted.

She replied: _Why are you up so early? =)_

Kaidoh smiled: _I couldn't sleep._

_Me either,_ was the reply.

Kaidoh smiled. He paused for a second and then deliberately typed in a new message for her: _I missed you…_

He waited a few minutes, praying the message didn't scare her away; not that he thought it would. Finally he got his response. _I missed you…_

Did she really miss him? He couldn't ask her that now. That would have to wait for tomorrow: _You should sleep._

_Are you going to?_

Kaidoh pondered the question for a second before he answered: _I've only got about an hour before I'm supposed to be up to train._

_O_O U R Crazy…but I always like that ^_^_

Kaidoh smiled; classic Uma: _Good. See you tomorrow._

_Have fun! =3  
_

Kaidoh put down his phone and swung his legs over the bed. He stretched his arms out wide and yawned. The clock read 4:45 am; time to go running. He picked up his shoes by his bed and made his way downstairs. An hour and half later he was back. The sun was just beginning to crest above the houses and birds were starting their morning songs. Kaidoh stood by his gate and watched the sun slowly rise. Today was going to be a good day, he just knew it. Quickly he jumped up the steps to the front door and went in to get ready for school.

~*~

_I missed you…_ She stared at those words in amazement. That had answered a lot of questions! She quickly replied with her own message: _I missed you…_

It hadn't gone any farther than that, but now she knew. He did miss her. And though it helped a little, she still felt guilt. But that would have to wait until tomorrow.

She put her phone down and curled up in her covers. In a few minutes she was asleep.

~*~

"Uma, did you forget your alarm!? It's eight-fifteen! You're going to be late for school!"

Uma fell out of her bed and looked at her clock. "Oh crap!" She struggled out of the tangle of covers and ran down the hall to the bathroom, her mother's voice following her from downstairs.

"Didn't you set your alarm?" her mother asked as she called up the stairs. Uma usually was up very early. This was out of character.

"Yes, mom!" she shouted back as she grabbed a brush and tackled her unruly hair. After a few sharp yanks she managed to smooth it down enough to put it into two braids.

"Why did you get up late?" she heard.

"I don't know mom!" she yelled with a mouthful of toothpaste. She dashed back to her room, pulling off her pajamas in the process. She flung open her closet and pulled out a fresh shirt and a cardigan. She grabbed her skirt from off the floor and quickly pulled on her socks. She really, really, REALLY hated uniforms, but at least no one could tell if you wore the same skirt or not. She adjusted her skirt and smoothed it down. And that's when she saw it; a small jelly stain from yesterday's lunch. She groaned…oh well, no time to worry! It'd just have to work!

"You better step it up; breakfast is going to get cold!" Her mother's reedy voiced floated into her room.

"Roger that mom!" she said with a hint of frustration in her voice. Her mother was NOT helping. The clock blinked 8:35. "Quit mocking me!" she shouted at it. It blinked to 8:36. She let out a frustrated scream.

"What was that?" her mother called up. Uma pushed her feet into her loafers, grabbed her bag and stumbled down the stairs. She made her way to the door where her mother stood with a sack lunch and an apple for breakfast.

"Thanks mom!" Uma called as she flashed by. Her mother smiled and waved her off. This seemed more like the Uma she remembered.

~*~

Uma raced down the street. She wasn't going to make it! She wasn't going to make it! However, as soon as the school came into view she slowed her pace down, just a little bit; she thought her sides were going to split! I may just make it! I may just make it, she chanted to herself in time with her steps. By the time she made it to the gates there were five minutes to spare. She paused outside the gates to catch her breath; she was so out of shape.

"Uma?"

She looked up. Kaidoh was standing there all calm and immaculate. His look was torn between laughing and pity…mostly pity…or embarrassment. Uma mentally smacked herself. She must look like a red-faced loon. "Ah…Kaidoh…good morning…" she said panting for breath.

"Did you run here?" he asked. She did not look so well, her face was all red. Uma nodded, unable to speak, and shrugged. There was really no point in talking. Finally, she spoke,

"Will…see you…in class…" and with amazing recovery speed she dashed off into the main building. She almost mowed down two first years.

Kaidoh watched her go and shook his head; why would she run in her uniform? He glanced up at the clock tower…CRAP! Only one minute till the bell! He dashed off, hoping he would be on time. He about ran into the same first years.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for waiting! I present to you, for your reading enjoyment, Chapter 5. I apologize for getting it out later than anticipated. Hit a roadblock in the thought process and I've been traveling a lot this summer, so I've hardly been at my computer. Nevertheless, thank you to everyone who has continued to follow along!! You totally make my day! Feel free to read and review. *LOVES*

The standard issue disclaimer applies here. Thanks for looking!!

**~Chapter 5~**

Uma was thankful for little things. She was thankful Friday classes only ran until 1 pm and Kaidoh had practice until four. They were meeting around six. She was also thankful tomorrow was Saturday so if their meeting went horribly wrong, she would have the weekend to avoid all contact with the outside world until she was forced to face him. And since it was a short day, there was no Conversation which meant Kaidoh didn't have to look at her. Yes, she was thankful for little things.

When the final bell rang for the weekend, everyone scrambled for the door and into the halls, weekend plans the hot topic of discussion. Kaidoh never got too excited for the end of the week, but this day was different. As the students piled out of the classroom, he found himself quickly packing his things to join the flow. He was…excited, yet nervous about this upcoming weekend. Nervousness was not a usual feeling for him, so that made him more nervous as he pushed his way into the hall to the lockers. The plan was to meet Uma at the courts tonight, he hoped he disappoint. He hadn't spoken to Uma since that morning outside the gate he felt she probably didn't want to speak with him. Girls were often concerned with their looks and Uma had looked….messy. He wondered if she had gotten up late. Nevertheless he grabbed his shoes, his bag and jogged down to the clubhouse for practice. The nervousness turned into excitement as he thought tonight would be the night his questions would be answered.

**~*~**

"Going somewhere Uma?" her mother asked as Uma thundered down the stairs and into the kitchen at 5:30. Uma rolled her eyes as if to say, 'Well duh!' and grabbed an apple from the fridge. "Are you meeting up with your friends?" Aya asked as she pulled the tea kettle from the stove top.

"I'm meeting with _**a**_ friend," she said with her mouth full. "At the tennis courts."

"Oh? That's great! Well, have a good time, be home by midnight, okay?" Aya commented as Uma tossed the core into the trash and headed for the door. "Got your phone?"

"Got it! See you later mom!" Uma called as she whisked out the door, purse and jacket in hand.

Aya smiled and poured herself some tea. Coming back to Japan had been a smart move. Uma was getting back to herself. She sighed and took a sip of her tea. She flipped through the day's mail. A blue and red postal letter addressed to _Ayako Ito_ caught her eye. She opened the letter quickly and scanned. Suddenly she started laughing. "Oh my! This _WILL_ be a surprise won't it?"

~*~

She bounded up the steps near the community courts two at time. She was running a little late. Lateness seemed to haunt her like a ghost. As she topped the stairs she saw the courts. Just like she remembered them. Quickly she scanned the area and found what she was looking for. She started towards him.

Kaidoh was waiting for her at the courts, leaning up against a light pole. As she got closer Uma stopped in her tracks and stared. Kaidoh Kaoru had gotten HOT over the past few years. She had forgotten what he looked like in street clothes. She couldn't go up to him; she had gotten scared. If she bolted now, he'd never know! Well, yes, he would, but…

"Uma!" Uma snapped out of her trance. So much for bolting. Kaidoh was waving at her. She smiled widely and walked up to him. 'Get a grip, Ito!'

"You look wonderful!" She blurted out in English as she stopped in front of him. Kaidoh's eyes got wide and his cheeks turned three shades of red. He understood fully what she said. That came out perfectly. "That is…uh…" 10 seconds into their meeting and already she was failing….BIG time.

"Thank you, Uma, you look wonderful too," Kaidoh replied as he gained his composure. He should have known she would have said something like that. But still, it wasn't too often that he got direct compliments like that. It was Uma's turn to blush. She shrugged and twirled in front of him.

"Well you know, I try!" she laughed. Kaidoh chuckled. This seemed so familiar. "So, what's the plan for tonight? Or are we just gonna wing it?" Uma asked excitedly. Her outburst had calmed her nerves and now she was just ready to have some fun. Fun, she decided was what she wanted…for now.

"Wing it?" he asked a little confused. He figured that English would be the language of choice tonight, but he wasn't sure what that phrase meant. Uma smiled, "Yeah! You know, just go with the flow, be spontaneous!"

Kaidoh scratched his head, "Well, I did kind of want to eat, but if you'd rather we'd be spontaneous…"

"Food? Great! I'm starving! Where to?" Uma exclaimed hopping up and down.

"Well, I don't know, let's just wing it and find a place," Kaidoh goaded lightly as he turned to head down the street. Uma laughed and followed him. "Sounds good to me!"

Oh, yes, it was starting to feel normal again!

**~*~**

"…so _then_ I tell her that it wasn't _my_ test he was cheating from, it was hers! She got so mad she made everyone retake the test the next day!"

"Did that boy pass it?"

Uma shook her head. "No, he didn't! The sad part was all the sensei did was rearrange the questions from the previous test. It didn't take a genius to figure out it was the same thing. Good grief!"

"Sounds like American students are pretty awful to me," Kaidoh said scrunching his nose. This boy sounded like a bad egg.

"No, just the one kid. He had issues though, major issues." Uma said sadly.

"Oh,"

Kaidoh and Uma had wandered down the streets and stumbled upon a small Chinese restaurant hidden between two bigger sushi bars. Kaidoh had never tried Chinese and Uma had grown to love it while in America, so they decided that was where they were going. Though small, the restaurant was owned by a polite retired Chinese businessman and his wife. They had welcomed them kindly. Uma knew she had found a favorite place. After they had ordered Uma began randomly talking about the Chinese restaurants in and around Anaheim as well as her adventures to Chinatown in Los Angeles. Kaidoh listened intently, glad to hear her speak about herself for a change.

Uma took a sip of her jasmine tea and laughed. "Yes, American education is not as a good as Japan's that's for sure. But, I did enjoy not wearing school uniforms. Although I did just wear jeans and a nice shirt everyday, so I guess it wasn't much different."

Kaidoh nodded. He liked this Uma; the girl who wasn't afraid to talk to him, the girl who laughed with him and made him feel important. This was the girl he had missed for three years.

"I had thought about travelling abroad after graduation," Kaidoh said thoughtfully. "America sounds like an interesting place to go. But it also sounds very big. I would not want to get lost."

"Well, if you keep working on your English, you'll be fine!" Uma said encouragingly. "As long as you don't try to look like a tourist!"

"But I would be a tourist," he said, not getting the joke. Uma just shook her head. Sometimes Kaidoh just didn't get it.

"Oh, Kaoru, you make me laugh!"

Soon their food had arrived and Uma eagerly dug into it. She loved orange chicken and this was some of the best she had tasted! Authenticity always produced the best flavor. She looked over at Kaidoh who was determining the best way to attack his fried rice. She nudged him with her foot.

"Eat it! Don't be so serious! Here try a piece of this chicken!" she said hold out her chopstick a piece of her orange chicken on it. Kaidoh hesitated and then grasped the chicken with his mouth. He chewed slowly. Uma watched his reaction. His eyes grew wide and he chewed faster.

"See? Isn't it great! Want another?" Uma asked as she took another piece. Kaidoh held up his hand.

"No, that's alright, you eat it. Thank you, it was very good." He decided that the next time they came here, that would be the dish to try. He smiled to himself at the thought of coming back with her.

Uma grinned. "Good!"

On their way out the restaurant they were given a customary fortune cookie which they quickly broke in half and pulled out the fortune.

"'You will fall into a lot of money this month,'" Kaidoh read slowly. "What kind of fortune is that?" he asked disdainfully. That was stupid fortune! It didn't tell him anything!

"American-made I'm afraid," Uma replied as she opened hers and read it silently to herself.

"What does yours say?" Kaidoh asked. Uma didn't reply. She clutched her fortune tightly in her hand and said nothing. "Uma?"

"Hey, Kaidoh, where shall we go next?" Uma said, obviously changing the subject. Kaidoh frowned. What did that fortune say?

"Well, I dunno, it's still pretty early."

"Can we go to the riverbank? You know, where you used to train?" Uma asked suddenly. Kaidoh blinked in surprise.

"Well, sure if that's what you want? I still train there you know,"

"Great! Let's go!" Uma said as she clutched his arm. Kaidoh was confused. What was going on?

Uma shivered slightly as a cool breeze began to flow. It was dark and the night sky was clear. As they walked along in silence she let the crumpled paper fall to the ground. She didn't like that fortune and she certainly wasn't going to tell Kaidoh what it said. Even though it was a silly fortune, it struck a chord in her heart; a chord that she wasn't ready to play. Not yet.

_You will reveal a secret to the one you love._

**~*~**

"Oh Kaidoh, I'd forgotten how beautiful it is here!" Uma breathed as they sat down on the hill.

Kaidoh smiled. "It is very nice." He replied. He watched as Uma leaned back and stretched out, placing her hands behind her head.

"You know, in America, the stars looked different. They weren't so bright." She said quietly.

"Why was that?" Kaidoh asked as he pulled his knees up. He couldn't lay back. He didn't trust himself.

"I dunno, I really don't. They just…weren't happy. The stars over Japan look happy. They sparkle and shine."

"Ah, I see." They were silent for a bit. Uma didn't know what to say. She didn't know where to begin. Right now, though, she was content, relaxed for the first time since she'd been back. There couldn't be any greater feeling.

"Were you happy?" The question came out of the blue and surprised both teenagers.

Uma sat up and looked over at Kaidoh who was absently pulling up grass. His head was down and his hair had covered his eyes. He didn't look at her. "What?"

"Were you happy in America?" he asked again this time turning to catch her eye. Uma froze. So much for relaxation.

"No," she said bluntly. "I wasn't." She sat up further. "I wasn't happy, is that what you wanted to hear?" she asked icily. Kaidoh noticed the change in the tone of her voice. Where did this come from?

"I was just asking! You do not have to get defensive!" he hissed his eyes hardening.

Uma slumped. She had reacted wrong. Why did she say it like that? What was wrong with her? "I'm sorry, Kaoru. I know you were." She whispered. She was speaking in Japanese again. Kaidoh's eyes softened and he edged closer to Uma who hugged her knees to her chest.

"You really weren't happy?" he asked gently as he sat right next to her. She instinctively leaned against him. He was warm. He had always been warm.

"No, I was. In the beginning. But, over time, it just…I dunno."

Kaidoh nodded, trying to understand. Maybe he shouldn't have asked in the first place. But, he had to know! He couldn't just let her slip away from him again. He couldn't!

"It's okay. You don't have to tell me now if you don't want to."

Uma sniffed. She could feel the tears starting to form. "But, I do want to tell you. I don't know what's holding me back."

Kaidoh threw caution to the wind and wrapped his arms around her. She stiffened slightly and then let her body relax into his. Oh how he had missed this feeling. He held her tight. "It's okay, Uma. It really is."

"Kaoru," Kaidoh looked down at her, she was looking up at him. Slowly he lowered his head towards her and she reached up and touched his face. "I missed you," she whispered as their lips connected in a long lost kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hey All! Wow, I am SO Sorry for the total lack of updatage!! However, thank you so much for sticking with me and waiting ever so patiently for me. And so without further adieu, here is the next chapter! Thanks for reading!!! =)

DISCLAIMER: I do not owe Prince of Tennis or its characters. This is purely a nonprofit effort!

**~*~ Chapter 6~*~**

If the world was ending, Uma didn't even notice, or care, because all she could concentrate on were the hot lips of Kaidoh Kaoru pressed against hers. She pressed back just as desperately as if trying to make up for three years of wanting and waiting.

"I waited so patiently," he whispered hoarsely between kisses. "I've waited so long for you, Uma to come back to me. And when you did, I didn't know what to do. I thought I was going to explode."

"Kaoru," she whimpered as he slid his hands under her shirt. She shivered as his hands skimmed across her stomach oh so lightly and crept their way up. His fingertips stopped just below her bra. She was slightly disappointed.

"You have no idea what you do to me," he said as kissed his way down her neck. He needed her, he wanted her; she was his.

"We have to stop."

The statement hit him like a ton of bricks. "What?" Kaidoh looked down at Uma, whose hair was slightly disarrayed and face was flushed pink.

"Kaidoh, we have to stop." Uma repeated as she looked away slightly embarrassed. Kaidoh pushed away from her and sat up, breathing hard. Uma laid there for a minute her mind reeling.

"What's wrong?" he finally asked. "Was I too forward?"

"No, it's just…too soon." She said at last as she sat up and smoothed her hair down.

"Too soon!?" Kaidoh asked incredulously. He couldn't believe! Here he thought was his chance to get back to where they had been and she was saying too soon!? He hissed angrily and glared out across the water.

"Yeah,"

"Why is it too soon, Uma? Why? Don't you want to be with me?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"I-It's just, I've only been back for a few weeks, and this is you know, our first date, and I…uh…" She floundered.

Kaidoh exhaled and stood up. He turned and started walking back up the slope. Uma quickly jumped and chased after him. She knew she was being stupid, but…

"Uma, in case you hadn't noticed, I love you," Kaidoh said stopping at the top of the slope; refusing to look at her. Uma hung her head. "I waited for you like I told you I would. I've tried to be patient. I think I've been patient this whole time and now, now you tell me too soon? Why Uma?" He turned and looked at her. "Why did…"

"Because I _didn't_ wait for you, Kaidoh! I didn't wait for you!" she blurted. Instantly, she clapped her hands to mouth. It slipped.

It took Kaidoh a second, but he got it. "So-so, you're saying you had a boyfriend in America?" He asked disbelieving.

"Yes! I did!" Uma exclaimed exasperated. The cat was out of the bag.

Kaidoh didn't know what to say, "Why?"

"Why, you ask? Why?" Uma repeated sarcastically, "Oh I don't know, maybe because he asked me out and I said yes!" She said as she began pacing in front of him. "Maybe it was because I thought I wasn't going to come back to Japan." She was rattling she knew, but she couldn't stop the words. "Or maybe it was because I loved you so much that I needed a way to forget you…."

"You wanted to forget me?" Kaidoh interrupted, a look of pain crossing his face. Uma stopped and winced.

"Yes! I-I-I mean no, no, I didn't!" Uma backtracked. Kaidoh didn't believe her. "But it was just so hard, Kaidoh, it was so hard!" She hugged herself with her arms and looked away from him.

"Is that why you never wrote? Is that why you disappeared?" he asked softly as he walked closer to her. Things were starting to make sense, but he knew he was only scratching the surface.

"Yes. I'm so sorry, Kaidoh." Uma sniffed as tears began to fall. "Can't you understand why? I missed you! I missed you so much, it hurt." And she cried.

Kaidoh reached up and pulled Uma into his arms. "Uma, it's okay." He said softly and he hugged her tight. "It really is."

~*~*~*~

That night when Uma returned home she felt as if her soul had been scrubbed with steel wool. She thought she would have been able to handle it, but she felt like it made things more complicated. After Kaidoh walked her home, he left her with a kiss on the cheek and sad smile.

She went upstairs and fell back onto her bed, tears falling freely from her eyes; so much for a first date. She hadn't planned on making out with Kaidoh. She hadn't planned on telling him about her American boyfriend. She hadn't planned on bawling her eyes out. And she certainly hadn't planned on confessing her love for him.

"Oh, Uma, you are a piece of work for sure," she sighed as she sat up and dried her eyes. She leaned over her bed and pulled out the small cardboard box. "I don't know why I still keep these," she muttered as she reached inside. "But, they just mean too much to throw away."

~*~*~*~

Why was this so difficult? Kaidoh was beating himself up mentally. Uma's confession about a previous boyfriend had thrown him for a loop. Deep in his heart he had always hoped Uma did not date while in America; that she would have waited to come back to him. Now he knew it had been a useless wish.

It made so much sense now! Her cool aloofness, the avoidance of questions, the sad longing look in her eyes. Why couldn't he have fallen in love with a different girl? A girl like the ones in his class; who would wait on him hand and foot and make him bentos. Why couldn't he love a girl like that?

"It's because you like a challenge," he answered to himself. "Because you don't like girls who wait on you hand and foot, who can't think for themselves. You want a soul mate not a fangirl."

But he wondered if it was too late now. She had moved on and left him standing still. What would be his next move?

~*~*~*~*~

_Uma and Gene were becoming fast friends; much to Uma's surprise. He reminded her of a taller, blonder Eiji-senpai, with his crazy grin, high energy and lovable attitude. They were almost inseparable. One day, Uma was waiting for Gene at their usual meeting spot after school, beside the bulletin boards, when she spotted Gene walking down the halls chatting with another boy. _

_Her first reaction was, 'Oh! That must be Gene's boyfriend.' Gene had confessed early on in their friendship his love for boys. It gave Uma comfort knowing that Gene wouldn't try to pull a fast one on her. As the two boys got closer it became pretty clear the second boy was not interested in Gene. _

_Gene came up to Uma an gave her a hug, as was his custom. "Uma, I want you to meet someone!" He exclaimed as he gestured to his companion. "This is Rory Takayumi." Uma finally turned her full attention to Rory. Her eyes widened. There was no denying that Rory was attractive; he was tall, with a California tan, and dark brown eyes that were almost black. He gave her a crooked little grin that about melted her heart. "Rory, this is Uma Ito, from Japan," _

_Uma snapped back to reality and rolled her eyes. "Thanks, Gene; I'm pretty sure he figured that out already!" Gene always liked to add 'from Japan' to all his introductions._

"_Sorry," Gene shrugged; although Uma could tell he wasn't sorry at all. Uma extended her hand and Rory shook it._

"_So, you're the new girl, very nice," Rory said pleasantly. Even his voice was amazing! Uma thought. Rory gave Uma a once-over. He liked what he saw. "Say, are you busy this weekend?" he asked as he released her hand._

_Uma cocked her head in thought. "Busy? No, why?"_

"_How about you and me go out for dinner Friday, say, seven o'clock?" Rory asked as he leaned against the wall next to her. Uma gave him a strange look. As cute as he was, she figured out what kind of guy Rory was; a player._

"_Um….I dunno, you see, I already have a boyfriend back in Japan," she said quickly as she stepped away from Rory. He took at step closer to her._

"_In Japan? Seriously?" He asked a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Come on girl, this is America! You don't honestly think he's still your boyfriend do you?"_

_Uma was getting a little irritated. This kid was starting to invade her space. "Um, actually…."  
_

"_Oh, go on, Uma!" Gene interrupted enthusiastically. "Rory's really nice and I think you two will hit off great!" Uma gave him a look of doubt._

"_Thanks Gene,"  
_

_Gene knew that look. He held up his hands in defense. "Hey, just trying to help! I know you've been having a hard time adjusting and…"  
_

"_Fine! I'll go out with him," Uma conceded. She turned back to Rory who was staring at his reflection the display case next to them. She really hoped Gene was right about this guy. "Rory, was it?"_

_Rory spun around and looked right at her, "Yes, Ms. Ito?"_

_Uma sighed, "I suppose dinner wouldn't be a bad thing…."_

"_Great!" Rory exclaimed. "I'll pick you up at your place. See ya!" he said and he walked away with a deliberate gait._

"_Okay, bye-bye…" Uma trailed off as she watched him go. "I really hope you're right about this Strauss, otherwise I may kill you,"_

"_Hey, you gotta admit, he does have a nice butt!"_

_~*~*~_

Much to Uma's dismay, Gene had been right on the mark with Rory. He had picked her up at her house bringing her a red rose as a sign of good faith. Uma thought it was slightly tacky but her mother just about had a field day with this as she thoroughly embarrassed Uma with photos and questions. They took the bus down to Chinatown where Uma had her first experience with Chinese food.

Between eating and people-watching from the restaurant windows, Uma learned about Rory. She found out his mother was Japanese and his father was an American businessman. He was the oldest of four kids and the only boy. She learned that he loved basketball, JPOP, 80's music, and books. His secret ambition was to be an author although playing college basketball would be a dream come true. As they talked into the night, Uma realized that she could very much relate to this boy and that his actions earlier in the week were a façade. He was terrible around girls and the only way he felt comfortable around them was talking like some suave jerk. Uma laughed a lot that night. It was the first night since she arrived in America that she hadn't thought of Kaidoh at all.

Uma was sitting in her desk before school remembering her first date with Rory and she sighed. Kaidoh hadn't contacted her after their 'date'. She wasn't surprised. If she wanted to remain friends with Kaidoh, she was going to have to tell him about Rory. But, she thought nervously, how much should she tell?


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I'm baa-aack! Hi everyone! The semester has finished, my writer's block has been cured (for now) and I am proud to present to you a brand new chapter! Thank you to everyone who has been following along these past few months, sorry to have kept you waiting. I do appreciate all the support and the encouragement! You guys are awesome. Thanks for reading! Review if so moved. ENJOY!! =)**_

_**DISCLAIMER: Prince of Tennis does not belong to me, I do not intend to profit from this....lol**_

**~*~ Chapter 7 ~*~**

_Uma was a little perplexed. As much as she tried not to, she was thoroughly enjoying her conversation with Rory. But, she wasn't letting on. They were sitting at the Chinese restaurant waiting on their food and Rory was relaying his life story. She tried not care, but it was…interesting!_

"_I've always wanted to be a writer," Rory said as he twirled his fork in a dumpling. "When I was a kid I got into a lot of trouble, so my parent's made me start a journal and I've been writing in it ever since." He shrugged and took a bite out of the dumpling. He had changed a lot since his middle school days; he swore he would the person his parents could be proud of. He wasn't really sure why he felt so at ease telling Uma about his shady past, especially on the first date. He looked over at Uma who looked as if she was trying not to look interested and he smiled. Yeah, he could totally dig this girl._

"_Wow, that's pretty ambitious!" Uma said excitedly. She paused. 'Too much emotion, Uma,' she thought. She leaned back in the booth and tried to pull off the aloof look, "Personally, I have no desire to write, I'm pretty boring in truth." She added. This was true, in her opinion._

_Rory laughed heartily, "Hardly boring, I'd say! I mean, you're from Japan! How can THAT be boring?" he asked enthusiastically. Even though his mother was from Japan, he had never been to the country, nor had he ever met his maternal grandparents. Uma was like a step closer to a part of his life that he didn't know about._

"_Right, of course, how could I forget?" Uma said sarcastically smacking the side of her head and giving Rory an odd look._

"_Do I sense some sarcasm?" Rory asked as he pointed at her with his fork, half a dumpling still attached._

_Uma choked on a laugh, this was kind of funny. "You think?" she said, laying it on thick._

"_Okay, okay, I can take a hint." Rory conceded biting off the rest of his dumpling. There was a slightly awkward. Now what could he talk about. "So, if you don't mind me asking, you had a boyfriend in Japan?" he finally asked, treading lightly._

_Uma stiffened slightly and crossed her arm. "Have." She said shortly. "I STILL have a boyfriend." 'At least, I think I do,' she thought._

"_Oh, what's his name?" Rory asked. Uma's eyes looked a little downcast. He really hoped she would start crying. It wasn't often that a beautiful girl would take interest in him and he wouldn't know the first thing to do if she did._

"_Kaoru Kaidoh."_

"_Ah, is he as cute as me?" Rory asked suspiciously._

_Uma snorted, "Cuter," she said definitely. Rory smiled slyly. Ah, yes, this was much better._

"_Hmm….competition," he said thoughtfully.  
_

"_Keep dreaming Takayuki," Uma said rolling her eyes. As if he had a chance with her. She took a drink from her water.  
_

"_If I'm dreaming, I don't want to wake up!"_

_Uma choked on her drink. She swallowed quickly and started laughing, "That's SO cheesy!"_

"_Are my cheesy lines working?" Rory asked hopefully wagging his eyebrows._

_Uma gave him a look. "No."_

"_Oh," Shot down again. "Uh, so, do you have siblings?" he asked._

"_Yes, I do,"_

"_And they are….?" He asked, waving his hands as if to encourage her to continue._

"_Three brothers, all older, in college and grad school; SO much more talented and smarter than I, how about you?" she said quickly, throwing the question back at him._

"_Three younger sisters, two are in middle school, one is elementary school; they attend private schools. I couldn't STAND our private school. Thankfully, mom and dad told me I could go to a public high school." Rory said breathlessly._

"_I liked my school," Uma said lightly, her face drifting off in thought. "Even though we had to wear uniforms. Skirts are so unreasonable…"_

_Rory's eyes grew wide. "You really wore a skirt like you see in all those anime?"_

_Uma gave him another look, "Yeah...so?"  
_

"_I dunno, I think that's….great! Will you wear one on Monday to school?" He asked excitedly. Uma could almost see the blood running down his nose._

"_What? Why? I hated that skirt!!" Uma exclaimed, sitting up in her seat. "It's locked away in a box deep in my closet!"_

_Rory sat back in his seat laughing, "…nice…" This date was turning out so bad after all._

**_~*~_**

_After dinner, Rory walked Uma back to her house. They continued talking about their families, books that they liked, music they listened to. Uma was surprised to find out Rory didn't know much Japanese, even though his mother spoke it. Rory admitted he never really wanted to learn it, but maybe one day he could. Uma secretly thought he reminded her of Kaidoh, which suddenly pained her. She missed him._

_As they walked up to the front porch, Rory stopped and turned Uma with a smile, "Well, Ms. Ito that was a lot of fun! Thanks for coming out tonight with me." He said happily looking straight into her eyes._

_Uma smiled and tilted her head to side, "Well, I've got to admit Mr. Takayuki; you sure know how to show a girl a good time!" and she meant it. She did have a good time. Maybe Rory could be her friend too._

"_I do, don't I?" He asked smugly. There was another awkward pause. He scratched the back of his head, "Well, I would like to get together again soon," he said slowly. "Do you have plans on Sunday?"_

_This statement took Uma by surprised. She looked away and blushed. "Uh…well, no, I don't actually…" she started_

_  
"Great!" Rory said, interrupting. "Would you like to go down to the Pier?" he asked quickly, grasping her hands in his._

_Uma didn't know what to say. In a moment of inhibition she said, "Um…sure, why not?"_

_Rory smiled widely. Score! "Excellent. Well, uh…." He quickly leaned down and gave Uma a quick peck on the cheek. "…Good night Uma, sleep well." And he bounded down the porch steps and took off down the street._

_Uma stood there on her porch, her hand on her cheek where he kissed her, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Goo-goodnight!" she called out weakly. She turned and walked into the house, her head swimming._

_She walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water before heading to bed. Her mother had already gone to bed and her father was out of town; on business. She sat down at the table with her glass and sighed. That kiss was definitely not expected. But, she didn't dislike it._

"_Uma, what are you doing?" she asked herself as she quietly hit her head on the table. Sitting up she looked over to the counter and something caught her eye. She got up and walked over. There sat a small envelope addressed to her in carefully written block letters. The return address was written Japanese. She gasped slightly, "Kaidoh!"_

Dear Uma,

I hope you are doing well. The snow is beginning to fall here in the city. I've always enjoyed snow. Does it snow in California? Even though it snows outside, Coach still has us practice inside. Soon we'll be graduating from middle school and heading off into high school section. I think I am ready to be reunited with my former teammates. Inui-senpai and I have been working on a new training regimen for when I get ready for high school. It should be most helpful.

I miss you. I hope you are doing well in America. But I know you are, you can handle anything! Wishing you all the best,

Love,

Kaoru

'_He signs his name Kaoru! Kaoru!' she thought wildly as she re-read the letter. She felt a tear run down her face and she hugged the letter to her chest. This was his third letter he had sent her; she had yet to send one back. She felt terrible. "Oh Kaidoh, I miss you too, I miss you too!"_

_Up in her room, Uma changed into her pajamas and placed Kaidoh's letter on her dresser next to her cellphone. She picked up her phone and found a new message from Gene. She smiled. Gene was always so nosey!_

_**Hey! How did the date go? Did you have fun? ^_^ -Gene**_

_**I don't think that's any of your business. =S-Uma**_

_**No 2**__**nd**__** date then?-Gene**_

_**Yes, on Sunday, unfortunately. -Uma**_

_**Unfortunately? Girl, come on! He totally digs you and you like him! *winks*-Gene**_

_**Whatever Strauss, I'm going to bed.-Uma**_

_**Are we still on for the mall tomorrow? *hopeful*-Gene**_

_**Of course! Nighty-night! 3-Uma**_

_**Bye-bye (^3^)-Gene**_

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

Uma opened the door to her home rather slowly, the memories of her date with Rory swimming in her brain. Kaidoh had completely ignored at school today. This did not surprise her. That was Kaidoh's way of dealing with stress and anger. She smiled to herself at least that was one thing she knew he hadn't changed. She frowned; she didn't like it.

As she made her way to the stairwell she heard her mother calling from the Kitchen. "Uma! Letter for you!" Aya called out. Uma walked into the kitchen. She pointed to the table where the letter sat and then turned back to slicing cucumbers.

Uma picked it up and turned it over in her hands. "For me?"

"Yep!"

"It's from Gene!" she exclaimed as she recognized the handwriting.

"Yep!"

Uma quickly scanned through the letter, "He, he says he and Rory are doing some travelling and….they're coming to Japan for a week!" she sputtered in disbelief.

"Yep!" Aya sang out with a hint of glee. Uma did not like the tone.

"Mother, you KNEW!?" she asked, slightly desperate.

"Yep!"

Uma collapsed onto one of the chairs, "Uh, what am I going to do?" she asked slightly panicked. This was not the start to a very good week.

"Take them to school with you of course!" Ayako said matter of factly as she plunked the vegetables into a pot of boiling water. "Show them around, give them the grand tour. Introduce them to your friends!"

"But, but, but…." Uma was sputtering. She couldn't form words.

Ayako sighed. She new Uma hated surprises and this was not so much as a surprise, but a shock to the system. She turned from the counter space and sat down across from her daughter. Looking her in the eyes, she spoke with a serious tone, "Uma, I know you and Rory have a history and I know you and Kaidoh's relationship has been strained and you're trying to figure it out. But you can't ignore the fact that Rory and Gene are coming and they will meet Kaidoh and you are just going to have to figure out what you are going to do."

Uma knew her mother was trying to help. She never really told her mother anything about her relationships with boys, but somehow she always knew. "Oh, mom, I don't know what to do. I mean, I really like Kaidoh, maybe I even lo—but I like Rory too; we dated for two and half years….!"

"I can't make a decision for your Uma," Ayako said quietly squeezing her daughter's hand.

"But couldn't you give me a hint?" Uma asked hopefully. Ayako smiled and stood up. She walked over to the stove and stirred the pot.

"The boys are coming into town on Friday," she answered. "If I were you, I'd tell Kaidoh right away."

For once, Uma agreed with her mother. "Yeah, you're right…" she said standing up abruptly. She turned around and started for the front door.

"Where are you going?" her mother called out as Uma grabbed her jacket and flung open the door. She had to go now, or she'd chicken out.

"To tell Kaidoh!" she called as the door slammed shut.

"But, it's dark out…" Too late, her daughter was gone. Ayako smiled, this seemed more like the Uma she remembered.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Whoa! TWO chapters in TWO days!? Yeah, well, it's been sitting on my computer for a few months (obviously) and I didn't want to make you wait anymore than you have already. So here it is! Let me know what you think. Thanks for looking! =)**

_**STANDARD FANFICTION DISCLAIMER APPLIES**_

**~*~(Chapter 8)~*~**

Uma finally stopped for a breath when she stood outside the Kaidoh residence. She had never actually been to Kaidoh's house, but for some reason she knew exactly where it was. 'Oh yeah, it's because I used to purposely walk by his house…God I was a fangirl back in the day!' Uma realized, slightly mortified. Shaking her head she took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

A few seconds later the door opened. Uma's jaw dropped, the boy standing there looked exactly like Kaidoh did in middle school.

"May I help you?" the boy asked in a soft voice. Uma shook her head, obviously, this was Hazue, Kaidoh's little brother. She smiled widely and bowed.

"Excuse me, but I am here to see Kaidoh-kun. Is he available?" she asked cheerily. The boy shrugged his shoulders and nodded.

"Just a second…." He turned from the door and yelled loudly and deliberately. "Niisan, there's a GIRL to see you!" he turned back to her, bowed and then walked away, leaving the door wide open. Uma wasn't sure what to do. Should she go in?

Suddenly, a handsome middle-aged woman, presumably Kaidoh's mother, walked by the hallway and looked over at Uma. "A girl? What's this?" She spotted Uma and her eyes grew wide and friendly. "Oh hello dear! Come in, please, come in!" she chirped as she walked over and ushered Uma through the door.

Uma bowed deeply, "Thank you, Mrs. Kaidoh, I'm…"

"Uma!" Both Uma and Kaidoh's mother turned. Kaidoh was standing there in his black tank and a pair of shorts with a rarely seen bewildered look on his face.

Mrs. Kaidoh turned back to her, "Uma?" she asked.

"Ito Uma," She answered, smiling sheepishly. Remembering her manners, she bowed again, "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Boy, she hadn't bowed this much in a long time!

Kaidoh's mother couldn't stop smiling. "Oh! This is UMA!" she said loudly as if she was remembering something important. "Kaoru, this is your American friend?"

Kaidoh scratched his head and shuffled over, "Yes, mother…." He looked at Uma and shrugged his shoulders slightly. His mother stood between them beaming with delight. Kaidoh turned to his mother, "You can go now mother…."

His mother could take a hint, "Okay, okay, it was nice meeting you Uma-chan, come by anytime!" she said cheerily as she walked away into the living room.

Uma waved, "Thank you, Mrs. Kaidoh, I will," she said watching the woman leave. Kaidoh surely didn't take after his mother did he?

"Why are you here?" the question came sharply and slightly puzzled.

Uma turned her attention back to Kaidoh; she gave him a weary grin, "Hi, Kaidoh,"

Kaidoh relaxed his muscles, "Hi, Uma," he replied. He definitely was not expecting Uma to show up at his doorstep. He was confused as hell.

"Can we, uh, go for a walk?" she asked hesitantly, digging her hands into the pockets of her jacket. She looked like she wanted to talk. So did he.

"Sure," he said as he grabbed his jacket and slipped on his shoes. He opened the door for her and led her outside. Side by side they walked down the street, his mother and brother watching from the curtain.

"What a pretty girl!" His mother exclaimed as she drew away from the window. Hazue shrugged and flopped down onto the couch. "Yeah, it's about time Kaoru-nii finally got himself a woman."

* * *

The two of them walked a little ways in silence, the sky was beginning to darken and a chilly breeze was picking up. Uma shivered a little, but not necessarily from the cold.

"So, what's up?" Kaidoh finally asked, breaking the silence. He leaned closer to Uma and put an arm around her. She stiffened slightly, but quickly relaxed to his touch. He watched in awe as she immediately leaned into his embrace and wrapped her arm around his waist. She sighed.

"Kaidoh, I'm sorry." She said as they continued walking. They were in sync, stepping together in perfect rhythm. He stayed silent, knowing she wasn't finished. She slowed their pace and stopped under a lamplight. She turned and looked up at him, her eyes sad and tired. Taking a deep breath and continued talking, "I know I should have written to you, I know I should have told you about my American…boyfriend," she paused and looked away. "I'm sorry I haven't been a good friend to you and I'm sorry that…"

"Uma…" Kaidoh interrupted her. She turned to look at him, "Yea…?" She didn't finish her question because Kaidoh had silenced her with his lips. It was a soft kiss, a kiss full of meaning and understanding. It was perfect and it made Uma's leg grow weak.

After they parted, Uma took a deep breath, willing the blood to rush back to her legs, "Uhm…" she was rendered speechless. Kaidoh smiled, he liked he had that affect on her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"Uma, it's okay. I'm sorry too. I should have known you wouldn't have waited for me. I never asked you to. I'm happy you had friends in America, even if one was your boyfriend." He sounded the last word out slowly as if it had a bad taste. Uma snuggled deep into his embrace. "I could have moved on too, but I didn't because I know we were meant to be together. And I will continue to wait, as long as it takes for you to realize it." He said definitely. And he meant every word. He was convinced Uma was the girl for him.

Uma smiled. Kaidoh sounded like Kaidoh; strong, confident, and determined, it made her feel better. She stepped back and looked at him. "Kaoru…thank you…you don't know how much that means to me." She said as she grasped his hands in hers.

"I love you Uma, I do." Kaidoh said softly, pulling her back to him. Uma relaxed as his mouth got closer to hers.

"I know, I love you too," she replied as their lips connected again. And she meant it; every word.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

They were near his house, when Uma suddenly stopped. She had been so caught up in the moment, she had almost forgotten the reason she called him out. 'Get a grip, Ito,' she thought.

"There's just one more thing, Kaoru." She started. "Today I got a letter, my friend Gene is coming to visit for a week. He's going to be here on Friday."

"Oh?" Was this the mysterious boyfriend? "That will be good, Uma, won't it?" he asked slowly, trying to keep himself from getting jealous.

Uma sighed. Kaidoh didn't really know about Gene. "Yeah, the thing is, he won't be alone. My ex-boyfriend, Rory will be coming as well." She squeezed her eyes shut and waited.

Kaidoh let out a deep breath, "Ah…ex-boyfriend, huh?"

"Yeah…." Uma was surprised. She looked up at Kaidoh. He was wearing an odd sadistic look on his face; as if he didn't know if he was happy or disappointed. Whatever the emotion, it was kinda scary!

"That's fine too," he said gripping Uma's shoulder slightly.

"Is it?" Uma asked hesitantly. Kaidoh finally came out of his trance and looked down at Uma. He saw she was scared; scared of his reaction.

He pulled her into a warm hug. "It is." He said reassuringly. "Uma, you still have feelings for him, right?" he asked. He wasn't stupid. He knew she had to have SOME feelings for him; otherwise she wouldn't be acting like this.

"Yes, I do," Uma admitted and then let out a deep breath, glad that she had finally laid it all on the table. For some reason, she felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. This wouldn't do! She let out a sniff and quickly wiped her eyes.

Kaidoh lifted her chin and carefully wiped away the tears forming, his heart was breaking. He didn't want to see her cry. "I understand," he said softly as he pushed her hair out of her face. "But," he said smiling, "this just means I have to work harder."

Uma laughed, "Yeah…wait…what?" What did he just say? Did he just make a challenge?

"Uma, I will see you tomorrow, thank you for coming over," Kaidoh said as they came up to his street.

"Of course!" Uma didn't want to let go of him, not yet.

"Good night……" he whispered, kissing her softly again. He smiled and continued on to his house. Uma stood there touching her lips with her hand.

"Goodnight, Kaoru,"

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

"Her ex-boyfriend is coming!? Seriously!?" Kaidoh hissed to himself as he shoved things haphazardly into his bag after practice. It had not been his day. His focus was lost and his game off. And to make matters worse, he and Momo had to meet up with Sensei to discuss the tournament bracket. He let out a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of all the things….no, it'll be fine. I will show her, she belongs with me. With me!" he muttered under his breath.

"Yo, mamushi-buchou, are you coming?" Momo called out as he made his way to the door of the clubhouse. It was just after practice and everyone had gone home, leaving the two seniors to themselves. "Sensei wants us up in her office right now!"

"What? Oh right, right," Kaidoh said distractedly as he flung his towel into his gym bag.

Momo frowned. Kaidoh had lost his focus. He was definitely distracted. He walked over and flung a casual arm around him. "Hey, something up man?" he asked. Kaidoh scowled at him. Momo smirked knowingly, "Trouble in Love-ville?"

Kaidoh hissed and shoved Momo away. "Shut up, what would you know?" he asked angrily.

Momo regained his balanced and laughed. He moved right back over and got right into Kaidoh's face. "Well, I do know that our fearless captain has been rather distant lately and his tennis has SUCKED," Kaidoh grimaced, even the Idiot noticed too, huh? Momo continued, "…and we have a tournament this weekend and if our captain SUCKS so does the whole TEAM. Furthermore…" Kaidoh cut him off abruptly.

"Alright I get it!" he hissed as he started for the door. Momo smiled and started after him. That sounded more like the Kaidoh he knew.

They walked toward the main building in silence. Kaidoh's eyes were narrowed and his brow was wrinkled, Momo knew he was irritated. "How's Uma?" he finally ventured to ask.

"She's fine," came the blunt reply.

"Just fine?" Momo asked surprised. He had really thought maybe those two would have worked out their differences and things were better than 'just fine'.

"Just fine," Kaidoh echoed. He didn't feel like going into detail, especially with Momoshiro. Momo just stared at him, waiting for him to crack. Finally, Kaidoh couldn't stand it, he stopped and glared at his teammate, "What?" he asked frustrated.

"So you two aren't dating?" Momo asked, scratching his head.

"No,"

"Why not?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"She had a boyfriend in America,"

"So?" Uma was in Japan now; didn't that mean she was available?

"And now he's an ex-boyfriend, and he and her friend are coming this Friday," Kaidoh concluded, wishing he hadn't given so much information. But, he figured Momo would probably find out anyway, he always did.

When Momo heard the word 'friend' his ears perked up. "Really!? Are they going to be at the tournament, is her friend hot?" he asked eagerly as they walked into the school. He could definitely imagine himself with a cute American girlfriend.

Kaidoh looked at Momoshiro with a surprised look, "Her friend's a guy and I didn't think you swung that way Momoshiro," he chided lightly they walked down the hall to Ryuuzaki-sensei's room.

This was news to Momo! "I, er…don't!" he insisted, fumbling over his words.

Kaidoh snorted and rolled his eyes, "Whatever…let's go." And the two walked in.

**~*~*~*~**

"…So if we use Echizen on singles 2, that would leave either you or Momoshiro for singles 1. I'd rather use you two elsewhere, possibly doubles." Ryuuzaki-sensei commented as she wrote on the whiteboard in the front of the class.

Kaidoh and Momo were scribbling down notes and comparing players for the upcoming tournament; their first tournament as high school captain and co-captain. They wanted to make a statement, Seigaku was still the best! Kaidoh took his job as captain very seriously. He had no time to worry about girls and he couldn't let Sensei down.

"I think that would be a good idea, Sensei," Kaidoh commented as he circled a few things on his paper. "I think Arai and Inori have been showing great progress with their singles work; although, I think they also make an excellent doubles pair. We could use them as doubles 2 and Momoshiro and I could play doubles 1," he suggested. Ryuuzaki smiled. For a boy who once said he didn't play singles and wouldn't ever play with Momoshiro, he had definitely shown some great maturity over the past few years.

"That's an excellent idea, Kaidoh." Ryuuzaki said as she made a note on the board. "I made a few calls and I think I could get our old Golden Pair back to help you guys out Thursday and Friday." She added. Momo cheered. He loved when Eiji-senpai came back. That usually meant a free hamburger.

Kaidoh nodded. "That would be helpful. I'm sure they've learned several things from their college teams that we could incorporate."

Ryuuzaki nodded, "That's what I like to hear! Now as for our singles players, we could take a gamble and use Horio for singles 3….heh…" she chuckled, remembering Horio as a first year middle schooler, who would have thought he'd grow into himself? "And we could use Echizen for singles 2…"

"What about Kaneda for singles 1?" Momo asked suddenly. "Kaneda is a third year, he was a Regular last year too, he's been doing really well in practice. I've played with him and he's got an amazing backhand. It kind of reminds you of Taka-san's backhand."

"We'll put him down as a possibility, we've got a lot of talent this year. It's going to be a hard decision." Ryuuzaki said. Kaidoh nodded in agreement. He knew Seigaku had amazing players, the ones they took to the tournaments were only a small portion of the talent they left behind. Whatever the final combination would be, he knew they would make the school proud.

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

It was well past seven o'clock when Kaidoh and Momo left the school. Two hours of deliberating with sensei was grueling work! However, both were satisfied with line up they made. Tomorrow's practice would be an interesting one.

"Hey, Kaidoh, wanna get a bite to eat before heading home?" Momo asked as they walked out the gate. Kaidoh raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't usually hang out with Momo, even after all these years.

"Sure, but you're buying!" Kaidoh conceded with a shrug. Momo laughed. He was hoping Kaidoh would say that. And maybe, he'd figure out what was up with Kaidoh and Uma.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello! Hello! Back again with another chapter for you all. _**THANK YOU to EVERYONE**_ who has been following along! You guys are so amazing. So without further au dieu, here's chapter 9. Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment, if so moved!! *LOVES*

Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis is not mine. I don't intend to profit from it.

**~*~(Chapter 9)~*~**

"…and then when you bust down the door, ZOMBIES jump out and you have SMEAR them all over the place to get by them…it's the best game ever!"

Kaidoh wrinkled his nose in disgust, "Can't you see I'm eating?" Kaidoh was listening rather impatiently to Momo's reenactment of his latest video game adventures while attempting to eat a hamburger. He was not succeeding with either of them.

Momo paused his story long enough to take a huge bite of his hamburger. "Yeah, so?" he asked with his mouth full.

"Ugh, you're disgusting," Kaidoh hissed irritably as he set his food down and looked away.

"Hey, it's just a video game, man, lighten up," Momo said empathetically as he swallowed with one big gulp totally missing Kaidoh's point.

"Whatever," Kaidoh waved his hand indifferently.

"Say, listen," Momo started pointing a French fry in Kaidoh's direction. Kaidoh quirked an eyebrow. "You said Uma's friends are coming into town Friday, right? That's like three days from now! What are you going to do when you meet him?"

"Meet who?" Kaidoh asked glumly. He was trying not to look at Momoshiro's stupid face. If he did, he would probably give himself away.

"The EX man, the ex-boyfriend!" Momo exclaimed rather loudly, catching the attention of some high school girls nearby. They looked over at the two and giggled. Kaidoh blushed slightly as Momo continued unaware. "Are you going to fight him for Uma's hand?"

That got his attention. "What? No! At least, I don't think so…." Kaidoh trailed off, somewhat thoughtfully. Would he physically fight some guy he didn't know because of Uma? "Only if he throws the first punch…."

"Really?" Momo asked in surprise.

Kaidoh shook his head and snapped back to attention. "What? No! No! I will not punch anyone!" He concluded as he pointed a finger at Momoshiro. "…you, though, I might!"

Momo snorted into his drink. "Yeah, right, Mamushi! You couldn't lay a finger on me!"

"Wanna try it?" Kaidoh asked bitterly, he was definitely starting to get worked up over this whole boyfriend business.

"Um…no." Momo said blatantly and returned back to his food. As he was munching away he decided to give his rival some good old fashion love advice, not that he had a ton of advice, but he wanted to toss in his two cents worth. "Look Kaidoh," he started out lazily, a piece of his sandwich stuck to the corner of his mouth. "All I'm trying to say is this; you know you love Uma so you're just going to have to make her see she belongs with you."

Kaidoh rolled his eyes. "Do you think I don't know that already!?" he said exasperated. He knew Uma loved him, she said so herself. She knew he loved her. Now it was trying to tie up the loose ends; mainly this mysterious American boyfriend! Kaidoh hissed and took a big bite out of his burger, chewing angrily.

"You do?" Momo asked surprised. "Oh." So much for his advice on women. "Well…then I'd say you're set!" he concluded cheerily and started in on his third burger.

"What?" Kaidoh asked astonished. That was all he was going to say? "Aren't you trying to help me?"

"Am I?" Momo asked wistfully his eyes trailing towards the group of high school girls.

"No, I think you're just talking to hear yourself speak!"

"Probably," he shrugged, not really paying attention.

Kaidoh shook his head, "You're impossible!" he concluded.

"I know," Momo agreed as he stood up. Kaidoh got up with him. "Want another burger? I'm starved!"

"No, I think I'm going to head home, thanks for the meal." Kaidoh said as he picked up his tray and headed for the door.

"No problem, Kaidoh! Just go do it!" Momo called out as Kaidoh pushed open the door. "Go give her a big smacker!"

Kaidoh turned six shades of red as he heard the group of girls laughing loudly as the door closed. "I'm going to kill him…." He growled as he headed home. "I really am!"

**~*~*~*~*~**

On Friday, Uma and her mother made their way to the airport. The boys were flying in around ten o'clock. Uma was nervous and excited. She was excited because she got to miss school and to see Gene. She was nervous because, well, she and Rory did not part on good terms. She pretty much had sprung it on him when she told him her family was going back to Japan. She tended to have a bad track record on communication skills. While Rory hadn't yelled and cursed like Kaidoh had, he did cut himself off completely from her and didn't even show up the day she left; not that she had expected him to.

Now, she and her mother were waiting in the terminal for the plane to land. It was hard.

"_Flight 1023 from Los Angeles, California is now landing….Flight 1023 from Los Angeles, California is now landing. Please make your way to Gate 214. Please make your way to Gate 214…"_

Uma sat up in her chair and turned towards the gates. People were starting to come off the plane. "Gate 214? Oh, look, mom! Here they come!" she said excitedly as she stood and walked over.

"Do you see them? Do you see them?" her mother asked excitedly as more people filtered through.

Uma rolled her eyes and laughed, "Good grief mom, they're my friends! Do you have to act like a kid?"

Ayako held up her hands in apology. "Sorry my dear daughter, I thought you'd be excited to see your friends!"

Uma was only half listening; she thought she just saw a flash of yellow. "I am it's just…"

"Uma!!" Suddenly, the flash of yellow shouted out in glee. "Uma Ito! Over here! Over here!"

Uma started waving back. "Gene?" she called back as the flash took form and out of the crowd bounded her friend. "Gene!?" she squealed as Gene Strauss ran up to her with a huge grin on his face. "GENE!!" she laughed with tears as the agile boy picked her up and swung her around in circles and sat her back down.

Gene stepped back to get a full view of his best friend in whole wide world. "Uma! Oh wow, look at you!" he exclaimed excitedly as he twirled her around. "You look fabulous! You cut your hair! I love it!" He gushed as he wrapped her up in another big hug.

"Gene it's so good to see you!" Uma replied. Oh, it was so good to see him.

"You too, Uma! Aya-mom!" Gene turned back around and picked up Ayako into a bone crushing hug. He had started calling Ayako 'Aya-mom' almost as soon as he met her and it stuck. "I'm so happy to see you too!"

"Geney, you silly boy!" Ayako laughed with some embarrassment. American boys had so much energy. After smoothing her skirt, she started brushing Gene off with her hand, getting all maternal. Gene had been like a fourth son, he had always been at their house in Anaheim. "Was your flight okay? Did they serve those little peanuts…."

Uma smiled as she watched her mother fuss over Gene. Just like old times. She frowned, where was…"Hi, Uma,"

Uma turned back towards the gates and took in a deep breath. "Rory!"

"Long time no see." He replied lightly, looking a little worse for wear. He had no idea where Gene stored that energy. He walked up to Uma and gave her a hug. She returned it immediately, squeezing him tight. "You're looking great, Ito, you really are." He complimented as he stepped to take a good look at her.

Uma blushed. "Thanks Rory, you look…amazing too!" she returned as she drank in his appearance. His hair had grown a little more and it looked like he had been working out, his shoulders were definitely broader and his arms were well defined. Yes, he was a sight for sore eyes.

He gave her a tired smile. "Yeah? Well, I'm glad to be here, I mean, it's Japan!" he said as he set his bag down at his feet.

"It sure is…" She trailed off. While it was so good to see Rory, she felt so awkward. They just stood there and looked at each other until Gene cleared his throat from behind them. Uma jumped.

"Uh…do you need to get your bags? Wanna go get your bags?" she asked quickly as she snatched up Rory's carry-on bag and turned towards the baggage claim.

"Yes!" Rory answered back just as quickly. "Yes! That would be great!"

"Right, I believe it was Gate 214. It's over this way, let's go!"

Gene and Ayako snickered behind their hands as the two of them skittered awkwardly towards the baggage claim. It was really too funny.

**~*~*~*~*~**

"Whoa! What a cute house Uma! It's a lot bigger than I imagined!" Gene squealed his face plastered against the window pane of the car. Uma laughed.

"Well, it is pretty normal compared to other houses." She said assuredly. On the ride home, Gene was just like a kid in a candy store. Everything he saw he wanted to touch or buy or take for his own. The house was no exception. After Ayako parked the car they all climbed out. Uma grabbed a couple of bags and headed towards the front door. "Come on," she said motioning with her head. "I'll show you guys to Chiro-nii's room. When you get settled in, I'll show you around."

Gene promptly forgot to ogle the house. He reached for Uma's hands, "That would be awesome, Uma! Will we get to see your school?" Uma swore she saw stars twinkle in eyes.

"Yes,"

"Will we get to go shopping?" he asked as his eyes started getting brighter and rounder. Uma was pretty sure they were going to explode at any second.

"If you want," she said as she tried to twist herself out of Gene's grasp.

"Do we get to meet your boyfriend?" Rory asked bluntly, immediately deflating Gene's starry-mood.

"Rory!" he scolded. There went his good mood.

"What? I just wanna know!" Rory replied deliberately as he adjusted the strap on his bag. He really did want to meet this Kaidoh fella Uma had been with. He was genuinely curious, even though he came off rather brusque.

Uma didn't even flinch at the question. "Yeah, you'll meet him." She said evenly as she continued towards the house. "Tomorrow is the district tennis tournament to see who goes to Kanto, the regional tournament. My friend Momo asked if you guys would show up. Gene, you'd like Momo, you two are kinda alike…" she paused thoughtfully, imagining what the encounter could be like. "…personality-wise."

Gene immediately perked back up. "Cute boys playing tennis, how could I pass this up? Rory?"

Rory shrugged. "Sure, sounds good."

"Hooray!" Gene snatched his bags up and followed Uma into the house. Once inside he kicked off his shoes and followed Uma upstairs, a million questions filling his head. "By the way, Uma, why would anyone call their son Momo? Isn't that a girl's name?" he asked as he struggled up the narrow steps.

Uma laughed. "His last name is Momoshiro, his first name is Takeshi, but we all call him Momo. I'm sure you'd be fine to call him Takeshi if you wanted." She said as she reached the second story. She dropped the bags in front of Chiro's old room.

"Oo! How fun! Do they all call you Ito-chan?" he asked eagerly. Maybe he should call himself Gene-chan while he was in Japan, you know, to fit in.

"No, no, I go by Uma, I'd rather," she said. Which was true, Ito was just too formal and that was one thing she wasn't.

Gene nodded, taking mental notes. "I see, I see, so much to take in."

Rory looked around the hallway. "Uma, where's your dad? Does he know we're coming?" he asked. He had only met Uma's father a couple of times while they were in America. He knew his work required he travel a lot.

Uma waved her hand indifferently, "Oh, Dad's away on business again. He doesn't slow down at all. You remember this. Even after he got out of the hospital he wanted to go right back to work! 'I'm an Ito', he said, 'There is no room for error!'"

"Oh yes, your dad's ole family motto!" Rory laughed, remembering the first thing Taro had said to him when he came to formally ask him for permission to date Uma. It had been a rather…intense experience. "Tate and Yuki were always saying that too, whenever we saw them." He added, remembering the first time he met Uma's older brothers.

"Don't remind me!" Uma said sarcastically. "I mean, I love my brothers, but whenever I saw Tatsuhiko and Yukihito all I thought was 'mini-dad'." Both of them laughed at the thought.

"I don't think they'd appreciate that!" Ayako called from downstairs. She was so glad her daughter was acting more like herself.

Uma rolled her eyes. "Oh mom, come on, you don't see it because of your mom-vision! Thankfully Chiro-nii isn't like them at all!" she insisted as she opened the door and let the boys in.

"Mom-vision?"

"Aya-mom! I love your décor up here! Are these bed sheets Egyptian cotton?" Gene called down as he inspected the room. Ayako mumbled something from the first story so Gene went down the stairs and popped into the kitchen to talk interior decorating.

"I like how your family hasn't changed at all since the move, Uma," Rory said seriously as he sat down on the edge of the bed and relaxed for the first time since the flight.

"Oh, you know; no room for error!" Uma joked lightly as she leaned against the doorway. "How'd your semester end? Top of the class?" she asked. Rory, while cool and aloof, was indeed one of the smartest people she knew. He was always ranked in the top three of their class.

"Oh, you know; no room for error!" Rory threw back. Uma laughed. She was glad Rory still had his sense of humor.

"Nice, well, I'll let you get settled." She said as turned to exit. "I'll put on some tea,"

"Uma," She paused and glanced back.

"Yeah?"

Rory looked down at the floor. "Um, yeah, thanks,"

"No problem, Rory, no problem at all," she said softly and she quietly made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

**~*~*~*~*~*~**

After the boys had gotten settled in and Ayako fed them, Uma took them out for a walk around the neighborhood. Gene wanted to see everything right away. Eventually, their route took them up to Seigaku. "And up here, you can see Seishun High School. The middle school is connected to the high school section," Uma said as she gestured towards the wrought-iron gates of the school.

"Oh wow, what a sprawling campus, it's like a junior college!" Gene said excitedly gazing through the view finder of his camera. His eyes had been glued to the camera since they left the house. It was quite humorous.

"Gene, will you stop snapping pictures? You look like a tourist!" Rory scoffed.

"Uh, news flash, Rory-kun, I AM a tourist and it's pretty obvious since I have BLONDE hair!" Gene retorted quickly as he snapped as many pictures as he could.

Rory sighed and shook his head in defeat. There was just no getting through to Gene. "Aye ya…." He chuckled and turned to Uma. "…but really, Uma, this is…amazing! I can't believe you get around so well here!" Rory exclaimed in awe as they walked through the school gates.

Uma laughed at her two friends. Their school back in Anaheim was easily just as big, possibly bigger. "It's pretty easy actually." She said as they came up to the entrance. She pointed towards the doors. "Want to go in? I missed classes today anyways and I need to get my assignments."

For the first time since they arrived, Gene looked a bit concerned. "But, but, won't we stick out like sore thumbs?" he asked as he lowered the camera from his face.

"I thought you weren't afraid to look like a tourist, Gene! Backing off already?" Rory chided.

"No, it's just, well…" While he was excited to walk into a Japanese high school, he was a bit worried they might run into someone they weren't prepared to run into; mainly this Kaoru fella of Uma's.

Uma noted his concern and laughed. He was so easy to read! "It's okay, Gene, the only people who'd still be at school would be the clubs and the teachers, besides," she said as she walked in, "we have early dismissal on Fridays."

That seemed to do the trick. "Oh! Well let's go then!" Gene proclaimed and he marched boldly through the doors of Seigaku.

~*~*~*~*~

"Excuse me, sensei?" Uma knocked on the door to the teachers' lounge. Most of the teachers were gone for the weekend, but she saw Jamie-sensei sitting at her desk scribbling away in her notebook.

Jamie-sensei looked up from her work. She broke out into a bright smile. "Ah, Ito-chan! We missed you in class today, is everything alright?" she asked motioning for her to come in.

"Yes, sensei, I went to the airport to pick up my friends from America," Uma replied as she motioned to Gene and Rory who stood slightly dumb-struck in front of sensei.

Jamie-sensei clapped her hands. "How lovely! What can I do for you?" she asked. Uma was one of her favorite students.

"Could I get the assignments from today?"

"Of course," Jamie-sensei replied as she sorted through some folders, looking for Uma's class folder.

Gene had a feeling this was going to take a while. So while the sensei looked for papers, he took the opportunity, "Excuse me, ladies," he said quickly. Uma and Jamie looked over at the boys. "Uma, is it alright if Rory and I walk around while you get your assignments?"

Uma smiled. "Okay, don't get lost," she agreed. Gene let out a little cheer.

"Thank you!" He said happily. Turning to Jamie-sensei he gave a deep bow of appreciation, "Sensei-san, arigato," and he turned and exited the room pulling Rory behind him.

Jamie-sensei was a bit surprised. "Did he know I'm American too?" she asked. Uma laughed, "Sorry sensei, I don't think he realizes a lot of things yet!"

**~*~*~**

It wasn't until the boys reached the courtyard that Gene's speed let up. Letting go of his hand, Gene spun around in the courtyard laughing and taking everything in. "Isn't this exciting Rory? We're really here, in Japan!" he said gleefully as he spun around again.

"Yeah, yeah," Rory said somberly, kicking at a pebble on the ground.

"What's wrong dude?" Gene asked as he stopped spinning and walked over to Rory. Rory was one of his best friends too. He hated seeing him so dejected.

"She's different, Gene," Rory said slowly as he shoved his hands in his pocket and turned away. He knew he was being stupid, selfish really. But he couldn't help the feelings he felt.

"You think?" Gene asked as he pulled Rory's face in front of his. He looked Rory dead in the eyes. "Are you sure it isn't you, who's being different?" he asked seriously, his blue eyes boring into Rory's.

"What?" Rory asked defensively as he jerked his head. Gene's grip tightened on his face.

"Rory, ever since we've landed you've been moody and sour, that's so not your personality!" Gene continued. Rory blinked slowly. Gene Strauss was a very scary individual when he got serious. He remained quiet as his friend continued. "Uma notices it too. If you really care about Uma, if you really love her, you'll snap out of it and get your head on straight! You think this isn't hard for her too? I mean, Rory, come on!" Gene finished as he shook Rory's head with his hands. When he finally let go, Rory was dizzy.

"You're right, Gene, you are…" Rory concluded as he tried to steady himself. Gene was always right. Gene would never lie to him; he never had before. Rory shook his and slapped his face. "Okay! I will try to be in a better mood…for Uma!" He resolved enthusiastically. Gene laughed, pleased to see the Regular Rory standing before him. "Now, if I can only get rid of this jet lag…."

"Hey, hey, Rory, look!" Gene wasn't paying attention anymore. He was looking over yonder at the tennis courts. Rory followed his gaze. "Tennis players! I bet her boyfriend is over there! Let's go watch!" Gene was bouncing up and down eagerly. This is what he really wanted to see.

"Oh? Should we?" Rory asked. He knew they should probably stay close to the building and wait for Uma. But then again, now could be a good chance to scout.

"Why not?" Gene asked, pouting.

Rory couldn't think of a reason not to, so he threw caution to the wind. "Um…okay, let's go watch!"

**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**

It was the final practice before Districts and the Seigaku team was in high spirits. After winning the city tournament, they were determined to make it through to Kantou. Even Kaidoh had allowed himself a fleeting moment of excitement during practice. Their practice was almost over; the line-up had been finalized with Ryuuzaki-sensei. There were just a few things left to do. Plus, he really had to……

"Hey, Kaidoh-buchou, look over there…spies!" called out one of the freshmen as they were picking up balls from the edge of the courts. Kaidoh turned and looked. Sure enough, there were two boys walking towards the courts. He didn't recognize them at all. Kaidoh concluded they had to be from different schools.

"You need to focus!" He called back at the first year. "Don't worry about that!"

"Yes, sir!" They replied and continued fetching balls.

Kaidoh turned back to the courts where Momo was working with a couple of juniors with their smashes. "Momoshiro!"

"Yo, buchou!"

Kaidoh pointed a thumb in the direction of the strangers. "Get rid of the spectators! This is a closed practice!" he instructed. Momo looked in the direction of Kaidoh's hand. The two boys knew they had been caught. He smiled and jogged off the courts.

"Roger!" He replied and headed toward them.

**~*~**

As soon as he heard shouting from the courts, Rory knew they were in trouble. "Uh, Gene, we've been spotted!" he said as he slowed his steps. "One of them is coming over! What do we do?" he asked slightly panicking.

Gene froze in his tracks as a big boy with dark spiky hair and bright eyes came jogging towards them. He looked scary! "I dunno! I don't speak Japanese!"

"What!? I don't either…." Rory trailed off as the boy stopped in front of them. Rory let out a half-hearted chuckle. The boy was tall, but his eyes were kind, so maybe this wouldn't be too bad.

Momo smiled at the two obviously frightened boys and put up a hand. "Yo!" He greeted cheerily. The boys continued to stare. Momo found this slightly odd. He scratched his head. "Sorry, guys, today our practice is closed, so you need to move along!" he said as he pointed back towards the school gates.

Both boys remained speechless. "…."

Momo narrowed his eyes. These guys were kinda dim. "Hey! Didn't you hear me? I said you need to move along!"

Rory nudged Gene in the ribs. "Say something Gene…" he muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

Gene stood there fumbling for words. Finally he chewed out, "Uh….er….we're Americans?"

Momo cocked his head to the side. "Huh? What was that?" he asked leaning forward. These guys were definitely not from around here. "What school are you guys from?" he asked.

Suddenly a female voice broke through the awkwardness. "They're from Franklin Public High School in Anaheim, California!"

"Huh?" All three boys chorused as the turned towards the speaker. All three boys' faces lit up with relief.

"Uma!" "Uma-chan!" They called out. Momo looked back at the two boys; the two boys looked back at Momo.

"You know, Uma?" Rory asked in English just as Momo asked in Japanese the same question. "You know Uma?"

After Uma had gotten her assignments she walked through the halls looking for Rory and Gene. When she couldn't find them, she concluded the only place they could have gone would be the tennis courts. Boy, her intuition was good!

She bowed to Momo. "Sorry, Momoshiro, these are my friends from America. This is Gene Strauss, and Rory Takayuki." She said in Japanese. Turning to Gene and Rory she introduced Momo. "Guys, this is Momoshiro Takeshi, the vice-captain of the Seishun High School tennis team."

Gene immediately forgot his fear. He rushed up to Momo, grabbed his hand and immediately began pumping it up and down. "You're Momo? Oh it's so nice to meet you!" He said eagerly totally missing the surprise on Momo's face. "I'm Gene! Call me Gene okay?"

Momo looked momentarily confused. "Jin?" He asked.

"Gene!"

Rory managed to pull Gene away and held out his hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you Takeshi, I'm Rory,"

Momo shook his hand smiled. "Ah, Rory, you don't speak Japanese?" he asked rhetorically. Rory looked Japanese, so Momo had hoped he could speak it.

"He doesn't, he's full blown American, I'm afraid," Uma answered for him. Momo nodded.

"I see,"

"What did she say?" Rory asked Gene who shrugged. Gene couldn't figure out why Rory thought he could speak Japanese. "I have no idea!"

Momo was glad these boys were not spies. However, "Uma, it is good to meet your friends, but Kaidoh says it's a closed practice today. We should be done in a few minutes. If you guys want to wait, we can all go get a burger." He said as he turned to go back to the courts.

"Eh, I think maybe we'll pass on that one," Uma replied. Tonight was definitely not the time to make introductions. "Rory and Gene just got in and they're awfully tired, I'm sure…plus you have to turn in early tonight, right? For the tournament?"

Gene knew something was up. "Now, now, Uma, did he just invite us out to eat?" Gene interjected lightly.

"Oh, so you picked up on that Strauss, but not anything else?" Rory asked amused.

"Shut up, Rory…" Gene scowled. Turning back to Uma and Momo he bowed, "Surely, we can't deny his request!"

If Uma hadn't been so worried about Kaidoh's reaction to Rory she would have found this whole conversation hilarious. "Gene, I don't think tonight is a good night."

Gene looked at her quizzically. "Oh…." Then in struck him. "OHHHHHH! Right!" Uma mentally face palmed. Gene could be so oblivious.

"Ah, well, that's okay, then." Momo concluded. He really wasn't sure what the big deal was, it was just one burger. But, whatever. "You guys are coming to the tournament?" he asked.

"Yep!" Uma replied and gave him thumbs up.

"Good, well then, I'll let you be on your way." Momo decided as he waved farewell. Turning to Rory and Gene he said in his best English, "It was nice to meet you."

As they walked towards the school gates Gene was all a-flutter. "Uma, that Momo is hawt!!" he gushed, his hands pressed to his heart.

"Oh god, Gene," Uma groaned. She had a bad feeling about this. She could see the little angel wings forming on Gene's back.

"What? He is!" Gene said slightly taken aback. He liked tall guys and this Momo guy was tall and handsome and foreign and….hawt!!!!

"Let's go, guys, I'm sure mom's got dinner ready,"

Gene immediately forgot Momo and thought of his stomach. Lunch seemed like ages ago! "Great! I'm starving!"

As the three of them walked out of the gates, Rory paused and looked back at the tennis courts where the team seemed to be finishing up for the night. Which one of them could be Kaidoh? "I guess I'll just find out tomorrow," he said quietly as he turned to catch up to his two best friends.

**~*~*~*~**

"So, who were they?" Kaidoh asked when Momo returned to the courts. Momo laughed and scratched his head. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to tell, but it was probably better he did now.

"Uma's American friends! They're coming to the tournament tomorrow!" He said cheerily.

That was what he thought. After all, not long had Momo gone over to them Uma had shown up. Kaidoh looked out over the tennis courts. "Oh,"

"You seem thrilled," Momoshiro goaded. Kaidoh gave him a look.

"Fushuuuuuu, shut up!" He replied. He walked to the center of the courts and raised his arms for attention. "Regulars! Gather!" Everyone paused and gathered in front of the courts. Kaidoh was so proud of the tennis club he was put in charge again. There were many old faces from back in the Middle School days and there were many new faces too. Seigaku had so much potential and as their captain, he swore he would lead them to victory. As soon as everyone was there, Kaidoh gave his first speech as captain.

"Tomorrow is the District Tournament. This is a big year for us! Many believe we aren't good enough for the National Tournament. But, I think they are wrong. We have grown over the past year and I am proud of each of your abilities." There were quiet murmurs in the group of players. Kaidoh-buchou usually never praised anyone out loud. He must really believe in them! "Tomorrow we will make a statement Seigaku remains the number one! Our ultimate goal is to rise again to the National Tournament." He paused and watched the reactions of his team. They were excited. He continued, "I warn you though, do not get ahead of yourselves. While this is our goal, tomorrow is the first test. Let's go out there and win!" And with that the entire tennis club let out a raucous cheer. Kaidoh smiled to himself. Yes, this team could do it! They will be number one!

Ryuuzaki-sensei put a reassuring hand on Kaidoh's shoulder. She was pleased with the progress he and Momo made as leaders on the team. She held up her clipboard, "Okay, listen up; here is the order for our first game tomorrow. We play Itagaku Academy. Here's the line up for the match: Singles 3, Horio, Singles 2, Echizen, Singles 1, Kaneda, Doubles 2 Arai and Inori, Doubles 1 Kaidoh/Momoshiro. Kachiro & Katsuo, I expect you two to be ready on standby, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Ryuuzaki smiled. These kids had grown so much. "Alright, don't forget we meet at the tournament sight at 10 o'clock sharp! Let's pick up and head out!"

"Right! Seigaku fight-o!" They all called out together and quickly broke to clean up the courts.

As Kaidoh made his way to the clubhouse Momo came up to him and flung a casual arm around him. "Hey, mamushi-buchou, that was a great speech! I got a little emotional!" Momo said wiping away a tear.

Kaidoh rolled his eyes and shrugged Momo's arm off him. "Shut up, tomorrow will be vicious. Everyone is out to get us for sure. Did you forget who is in districts?" he asked as he took off his jacket and started packing his bag.

Momo paused and thought about it. "Ah, well, no, I didn't," he replied sheepishly. Kaidoh shook his head, the idiot forgot.

"Yeah, it's going to be tough, especially since they're seniors now," Kaidoh informed him. Momo nodded. He knew he meant Fudomine. All but two of their regulars were seniors. They were tough, real tough.

"Right, well, buchou, I'm off. See you tomorrow," Momo said giving Kaidoh a slap on the back as he headed out the door. Kaidoh hissed. What an idiot. He shouldered his bag, checked to make sure everyone had left, shut the lights off in the club room and headed out the door. With one last look at the courts he let out a sigh. It was game time!

**~*~*~*~*~**

Uma was tired. What a day it had been! She sat on her bed brushing her hair out when her phone buzzed; a text message from Kaidoh.

_Are you coming tomorrow?_ Was the text. Uma smiled.

_Yep! Wouldn't miss it for the world. _She replied back quickly; genuinely glad to hear from Kaidoh.

_Your friends are coming too?- Kaidoh_

_Yes, they are.-Uma_

_Good. I would like to meet them.- Kaidoh_

_And you will. Good luck! 3- Uma_

_Good night.*chuu*-Kaidoh_

Uma laughed to herself as she put her phone down. She knew Seigaku would do well tomorrow. With Kaidoh leading as their captain, there was no way they could lose! They were number one after all.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hello again! Well, this is WAY overdue and I apologize for those who have been waiting patiently. Thank you for reading and watching and commenting and making me feel like my writing matters. YOU are awesome! Thanks for looking!!

Feel free to comment if so moved. It definitely helps the writing process.

DISCLAIMER: Standard disclaimer applies. I don't tend to profit from this....one can only dream!

And now....chapter ten! (^3^)

**~*~Chapter 10~*~**

The tournament was already in full swing as Uma and the boys made their way up to the courts. Doubles 2 was just finishing when they found seats on the bleachers.

"Game! Seigaku Arai/Inori pair wins, 6 games to 3!"

The Seigaku side cheered and Uma saw Momo do an arm pump. "That's how we do it!" he shouted as Arai and Inori came off the courts. He gave them both high-fives. One win down.

"Ah, Momo-chan hasn't changed at all, has he?" Uma said to herself smiling as they came up to the courts. She sure missed watching the boys play tennis.

"Next, Doubles 1, Seigaku Momoshiro/Kaidoh pair versus Itagaku Koko Ryoga/Ryoga pair!"

"Twins?" Horio asked as he eyed the two brothers from the other team. Both were very tall with a heavy build. They looked very intimidating. Momo wiped his face with a towel and took a quick swig of water. He tossed the bottle to Horio.

"No," he said as he picked up his racket and twirled it in his hands. "They're siblings though. Ryoga Youji is a senior and Ryoga Hiro is a first year."

"Oh, this will be interesting won't it?" Ryoma said lazily as he adjusted his hat and smirked. Momo grinned back. "You better believe it!" he said as he turned and walked onto the court with Kaidoh.

~*~

"Look Rory! Look at all the pretty boys playing tennis!" Gene was beside himself. Once again he had glued his eye to his camera and was snapping pictures left and right. If he was trying to be inconspicuous he wasn't doing a good job.

"Good lord, Gene, control yourself!" Rory said almost exasperated. Gene's gaydar was on full alert. It was rather embarrassing.

"He can't help it, Rory," Uma said laughing as she watched Gene prance around in front of her. "It's like an all you can eat buffet!"

Gene stopped taking pictures and turned back to her, his face in a pout. "Hey, don't be so mean Uma!"

Uma just laughed. She knew Gene well enough to know she was right. As she scanned the crowd, her vision was suddenly blocked by a bright red flash coming straight towards her.

"Hoi! Hoi! Uma-chan? Ito Uma-chan?" the flash called out. Without warning, Uma found herself being attacked by the red flash. Gene and Rory took a few steps back. This strange boy had attached himself around Uma's neck was hanging on for dear life! Just as Rory was about to pounce on the strange boy Uma started laughing and hugged the boy back!

"Oh no way! Eiji-senpai?" Uma asked as she recognized the smiling catty face. Eiji grinned and pulled away. Uma looked around and spotted another boy looking rather sorry coming up to her as well. She smiled. "Oishi-senpai?" she called out waving. Oishi smiled and linked his arm with Eiji. "You guys came to watch?" she asked excitedly.

Eiji smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. "A-ho! It IS Uma-chan! She's back from America!" he said brightly. "It's so good to see you! It's been a long, long time, right Oishi?"

Oishi smiled politely and gave Uma a short hug. "Yes, it has. How have you been Uma?"

"I'm doing well, thank you Oishi-senpai. How's university?" she asked. She knew, from Kaidoh, that many of the original Seigaku players had gone onto bigger and better things than tennis. Oishi was one of them.

Oishi blushed. "I like it." He said confidently. And he did. He had been accepted into the Pre-Med program at Tokyo University and he was sitting at the top of his classes. "It's going very well."

"Great!" She said happily. Then it dawned on her; Rory and Gene were right behind her. She turned back to Rory and Gene who were starring slightly dumbstruck. "Oh, Eiji-senpai, Oishi-senpai, these are a few of my friends from California. They just finished up school for the summer and are here visiting. This is Gene Strauss and Rory Takayuki." She said quickly motioning to each boy. "Gene, Rory, this is Eiji Kikumaru and Shuichiro Oishi, my senpais from middle school."

Gene quickly snapped out of his dumb-trance and eyed Eiji. He broke out into a huge smile. "Eiji? Can I call you Eiji?" he asked quickly as he reached for Eiji's hand and began pumping it up and down. Eiji laughed and scratched his head, not sure what to do. "I'm Gene! Nice to meet you!"

"Ah, Gin-kun is cute!" Eiji said mispronouncing his name completely. He joined in the hand-pumping. He could tell Gene was a nice guy, a little eager, but nice. "You can call me Eiji!" he concluded happily.

"Gene, Eiji-senpai, Gene!" Uma tried to correct to no avail. Both boys were just smiling and shaking hands. In a weird way, they almost looked like mirror images of themselves.

"That's okay, Uma, I don't think Gene-kun minds." Oishi laughed kindheartedly. It was nice to see Eiji slightly baffled by overly aggressive people for a change.

"No, I don't think he does," Uma mused lightly. The two had taken their hand shaking to the next level with playful banter and hugging.

"Eiji, Eiji," Gene sang as he hugged Eiji tightly. "Eiji-kun is kawai!"

"Gin-kun, Gin-kun," Eiji rang back and both boys wrapped their arms around their shoulders and let our hearty laughs.

Rory stood there speechless. Gene would never learn. "Wow," he trailed looking over at Uma who raised her eyebrows with an 'It's Gene, what can you do?' look on her face. Rory smiled and then turned to Oishi who stood quietly by. "Oh! Shuichiro, nice to meet you, I'm Rory," Rory extended his hand to Oishi who took it and shook it back.

"Nice to meet you Rory-kun," Oishi said politely in Japanese. Rory gave him a funny look but smiled nonetheless.

"Just so you know, Oishi-senpai," Uma said quickly recognizing the look of confusion between both boys. "Rory doesn't speak Japanese."

"Ah, that's okay," Oishi said nodding. He turned to Rory, "I'll just work on my English."

"So how are the games going?" Uma asked. Gene and Eiji were still prancing around laughing together.

"They're going very well, actually, Arai and Inori just won the first set." Oishi said motioning to a spot in the bleachers behind Seigaku's team. "Kaidoh and Momo are getting ready to play the Ryoga brothers from Itagaku Koko. Do you want to come sit with us? Fuji is here too."

Uma looked at Rory who nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, that would be great!" she said as the three of them headed towards the seats. She quickly spotted Fuji-senpai's fair head amongst the spectators. She noticed there were very few parents. Uma never did understand the lack of adult spectators. She guessed it was just the way things were done in Japan.

As the group sat down, Fuji turned his attention to them. He smiled brightly in recognition of the new guests. "Ah, Ito-san, it is so good to see you!" He said lightly as he reached out and grasped Uma's hand.

"Fuji-senpai! How are you?"

"I'm doing well. You look nice, today," he complimented. It was then he noticed the other boy standing next to Uma. He opened his eyes completely. Interesting.

"Thank you Fuji-senpai. This one of my friends, Rory, from America," she said, motioning to Rory who reached out and shook Fuji's hand.

"How do you do? I'm Shusuke Fuji," Fuji said politely in flawless English.

"My other friend Gene is occupied with Eiji-senpai. They're over there," Uma said pointing to a spot along the fence where Eiji and Gene were doing a cheer with the students of Seigaku. Rory groaned. Gene was so dumb sometimes!

"Good grief, Gene!" he muttered under his breath. He turned back to Fuji and smiled, "Nice to meet you Shusuke, I'm Rory Takayuki," Fuji grinned. What a nice boy.

"Fuji-senpai, are you hear to watch Seigaku too?" Uma asked settling down next to him.

"Just for a bit, then I am going to watch Yuuta. They are playing right now too, but Yuuta is singles one so I have some time." He said evenly. He had no doubt St. Rudolph would win their match before Yuuta got to play, but he did want to support his little brother.

"How is school going for you?" she asked. It was just like a game of 20 questions.

"It's going very well. I like University life."

"That's good to know," Uma said absently as she watched the players take the court. Boy, Kaidoh sure looked good in white shorts.

"Thank you Uma-chan. How's high school?"

"Oh, you know, it's going, I guess." She said slightly distracted her eyes drifting. "It's kinda weird being back in the Japanese educational system. America's education is….relaxed!"

"Is it?" Fuji asked interested. He wanted to study abroad in America. If it was too easy, then maybe he shouldn't.

"Yeah, but, I'm glad I didn't have to repeat my junior year. I got bumped up to senior status after I took my entrance exams. So, I'll graduate with my original class." Uma concluded. And for this she was very glad. She would have HATED being knocked down a class on her return. Thankfully, Uma was a smart student, so she passed her entrance exams with flying colors. Rory beamed at Uma. She was so smart.

By that time Gene and Eiji had returned to the group all smiles. Fuji introduced himself again to Gene, who about flew away with all the floaty-hearts surrounding him.

"Rory, Gene, how did you meet Uma-chan?" Fuji asked turning his attention to the boys. He was quite interested in learning about their relationships with Uma.

Gene quickly came back down from his floaty-heart high and grinned importantly. "I helped her get to her English class first day of school our freshmen year," He said proudly. Uma groaned. He always took pride in that story. Gene continued on, "and Rory and Uma used to…."

"…I met Uma through Gene," Rory interrupted quickly. He knew Gene would blabber on about ancient history. That was the last thing he wanted to hear about.

Fuji noticed the uncomfortable tension between the three high schools. "Ah, I see," he said slowly and turned his attention back to the game at hand. Interesting.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Kaidoh noticed Uma as soon as she hit court-side. And the fact his senpai recognized her right away and ran off to meet her was a helpful hint she came. Not that he doubted she would. He and Momo were moments away from stepping onto the court. Arai and Inori played an excellent game, he got him fired up. The Ryoga brothers of Itagaku were good; scarily good. And they had to get by Itagaku to proceed to the next round. Fudomine, St. Rudolph's, Hyotei, and Yamabuki were the ones to look for this year. They had consistently produced excellent players that had followed up through their middle school and high school teams.

Even though they easily go through their first tournament, there was still a long way to go.

"Mada mada da ne," Kaidoh said to no one in particular which caught Momo's attention.

"What's this? You're imitating Echizen now?"

Kaidoh hissed and grabbed his racket. "Hardly, let's go, Momoshiro!"

"Yeah, let's go!"

~*~*~*~

Rory wasn't a big tennis fan, he never had been, but there was something about Japanese tennis that made him sit up and watch. It was the raw passion in the players' faces and in every movement they made that made him realize that tennis was no laughing matter. The way each player moved, the expression on their faces, the tension between the teams, it was quite breathtaking!

Uma was sitting next to him watching intently following Kaidoh's every move on the court. She hardly said anything but Rory could tell she was zoned in on the game. That was so Uma, not the kind of girl to be outwardly emotional. He had heard the shrills and shrieks from the girls on the sidelines and was glad for small things.

Now Gene on the other hand was having a ball. He was jumping around, cheering and yelling, even though he really didn't know who he was cheering for. Plus, Eiji-kun was there cheering with him and that made it even better.

"Wow, these guys are so good Eiji-kun!"

"They really are Gin-chan!"

"Jeeeeeeeeeeeeen," Oishi corrected automatically, as was his habit over the years. Neither boy seemed to notice so Oishi continued to dissect the game with Fuji as they did in the old days.

"Kaidoh's snake is dangerous! I've never seen such a sharp curve on a buggy whip shot!" Oishi commented enthusiastically as Kaidoh scored game point. Fuji hummed in agreement. Both boys had grown considerably since last year. This could be their year.

"I agree, what do you think Uma?" he asked turning to Uma who was staring intently at the courts. "Uma?"

Uma was dimly aware someone was trying to speak with her. She snapped back to attention. "Huh? What? Oh! Fuji-senpai, did you say something?" she asked distractedly. Beside her Rory stifled a chuckle. Fuji laughed.

"Oh, it was nothing," he said assuredly. Uma sighed. She had missed watching Kaidoh play tennis. He was just so good! Every serve, every volley, every step was like a dance; fluid motion. It was really breathtaking to watch. And his coordination with Momo was almost impeccable.

"Pretty amazing, huh," Rory said lightly as Seigaku took the second game. Uma nodded. "Yes, they are! I'd almost forgotten how intense Seigaku got when they played tennis."

"Uma this is simply too much fun!" Gene gushed as he plopped himself down on the bleachers. He had to take a breather. Cheering with Eiji was too much work.

Uma laughed. "I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!"

"Me too! Those boys are so good! No wonder you were always talkin' them up back home! They are geniuses!"

"Well, they definitely do not know how to give up!" Uma said lightly. She knew Kaidoh was no genius of tennis. He was a genius of hard work and stubbornness. He was driven and focused and knew exactly what he wanted. She smiled. Yes, that's why she loved him.

Rory looked at the expression on Uma's face and his heart sank. Yeah, she had made her decision, he decided; a long time ago too. Rory turned back to the game. What was he going to do?

~*~*~*~*~

Kaidoh was hot and tired. His calf muscles burned and sweat flowed down his face in rivers. But he loved it. It was down to match point. They weren't lying when they said the Ryoga brothers were simply amazing. They had been a challenge from the beginning and Kaidoh Kaoru loved a challenge.

It was his turn to serve. He was serving to the elder Ryoga brother Youji. He had a killer back serve. The Itagaku player had caught both he and Momo off guard more than once during the match. However, Kaidoh knew if he aced this next one, they'd win the game and then Horio could clean up in singles. He took a deep breath and willed his heart to slow down. If he didn't concentrate he'd mess up his serve and then they'd be back to battling it out.

Throughout the game he had been tuned-in to Uma. He knew where she sat, he knew she was watching him intently and he knew that boy sitting beside her was her ex. Oh yes, Kaidoh knew everything.

He stared over at Ryoga Youji, whose face was tight with concentration and…strain. Kaidoh noticed he was leaning to his right. That meant the boy's left foot was hurting. Kaidoh smirked, 'Watch this, American boy,' he thought as he raised his arm to serve. 'This is why she chose me over you…' He swung his racket and connected with the ball…..

…That Ryoga boy never saw it coming.

~*~*~*~

It had been a long exhausting day, but Seigaku had managed to pull it out and qualify for the Regional Tournament by making it to the Final Four. Their semi-final game was to be against St. Rudolph in two weeks, so Kaidoh knew they had a lot to do before then. He was already planning the practice schedule. As the team was packing their stuff ready to head home, Kaidoh felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. He turned around and saw his old senpais standing there with smiles on their faces.

"Senpai!" he greeted them quickly. "Thank you for coming!"

"What a great job you are doing Kaidoh with the team. You guys will surely make it to the finals." Oishi said excitedly. He was indeed very proud of Kaidoh and Momo. It was like watching his little brothers play.

"Thank you Oishi-senpai, we do hope to go all the away again this year,"

"And surely you will!" Fuji added smiling. While he was excited for both Seigaku and St. Rudolph, he was a bit concerned about whom he should cheer for in the next game.

Kaidoh nodded in agreement and swung his bag onto his shoulders. The team was making their way to the bus. Momo was shouting something intelligible to him and gesturing wildly with his hands. "If you will excuse me senpai, I must be going, have a good night." And with that, he turned and trotted away towards his team.

"Ah, Oishi, Kaidoh-chan is so grown-up, it's a little sad." Eiji said forlornly. Oishi smiled. "It happens to everyone Eiji! Now, who's up for some sushi? I believe Taka-san said he was working tonight."

Eiji completely forgot to be said, "I am! I am! Let's go!"

~*~*~*~*~

Kaidoh was about to step onto the bus when his phone buzzed. Quickly, he sat down and pulled it out. There was a new text message from Uma.

_Congratulations! You are so awesome! (^_^) I am taking the boys home, do you want to meet up for lunch tomorrow? –Uma_

Kaidoh smiled. He saw her leave quickly after the game, as to not draw more attention to herself. He couldn't wait to see her up close. _Sounds good, meet up at the station around 11:30?_

_Alright! Bring Momo along too. I'll be bringing the boys. I want you to meet them. –Uma_

Kaidoh frowned. Of course she would be bringing them. _Okay, Good night! *chuu*_

Kaidoh shut his phone and sighed, letting himself relax for the first time that day. Man, he was tired. Good thing Sensei was letting him and Momo go home right away. He didn't think he could stay awake for the debriefing.

"Yo, mamushi-buchou!" Kaidoh glanced up at Momo's face staring straight down at him. He hissed.

"What do you want?" He asked sourly as Momo slipped into the seat next to him. Unlike Kaidoh, Momo was cranked up.

"We did a good job today, didn't we?"

"Yep,"

"We're going all the way again this year, aren't we?"

"You know it,"

"Uma sure looked pretty in that blue jacket she was wearing today,"

"Yes she was…hey!" Kaidoh sat up quickly and gave Momo an evil glare.

Momo was beside himself. He knew that would get his attention. "Oh, man, you should see the look on your face!"

Kaidoh frowned and turned away from Momo, "Shut up!" But it was true. Uma DID look good. Real good. "Hey," he said staring out the window. "Uma invited you and me to lunch tomorrow with her and her friends. 11:30 at the station. Okay?"

Momo raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh, sure! Sounds fun!" he said brightly as the bus pulled up to Seigaku's gate. Both boys stood up and grabbed their bags.

"Yeah," Kaidoh said sarcastically stepping off the bus. "TONS of fun,"

~*~*~*~

After the matches, Uma and boys headed back home. Gene was reluctant to go, but so happy to have a new Japanese friend to brag about when he got back to America. All the way back, Gene went on about applying to Tokyo University and studying Japanese History. Uma just laughed and Rory rolled his eyes. Gene would never change.

Rory walked in silence. There was a lot on his mind and he needed to get rid of it. But, he wasn't sure how to bring it up. Uma was texting somebody and he assumed it was Kaidoh. Although he tried, he couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy. 'Get a grip Rory!' he thought angrily.

"Hey, guys," Uma said, cutting into Gene's chatter and Rory's moodiness. "We're going to have lunch with Momo and Kaidoh tomorrow, sound good?"

"Yes! I love Momo-chan! And I can't wait to meet Kaidoh!" Gene said eagerly. He looked over at Rory who was frowning.

"Yeah," Rory said finally. "That does sound good!"

Uma sighed with relief. "Good!" And they continued on their way.

When they got back to the house, Uma was there with a pot of tea and some sandwiches. They sat around the kitchen table and relayed the day's events. Well, Gene did most of the talking; Uma and Rory added their own quips when they could. Ayako was so happy. These children had been the best of friends in America and it was so nice to see together again.

~*~*~*~

As she was turning down the covers to her bed, there came a knock on her down. It was after midnight. Gene had immediately dropped off to sleep after tea and Ayako had gone to bed hours before. She had just left Rory and a sleeping Gene in Chiro-nii's room.

"Hey, Uma, it's Rory, can I come in?" came a muffled voiced. Uma opened the door.

"What's up?" she asked concerned. Rory was still fully dressed and he looked ragged. She could tell he was stressed.

"Uma, it's just…." He started slowly. Rory was tired and confused and frustrated all at the same time. He thought that if came to visit Uma it would give him some sort of closure. He and Uma had dated for almost two years. She had been his first real girlfriend. It came as a real surprise to him when she told them she was breaking up with him because her family was moving back to Japan. It had broken his heart. When Uma left he didn't even go to say goodbye. He just let her go, swallowed up by his pain. Now, he felt like a complete jerk. If anything, he felt even worse than before. He could tell she was ready to move on, but he was the one holding her back. He wanted her to move on, he wanted them to have closure; he knew she didn't love him anymore. He had to finish it. He had to let her know.

He stepped into her room and shut the door. "Yes?" she prodded gently.

"It's just I…" And without warning he grabbed her and planted a kiss on her lips. So much for being subtle.

"Rory! What are you doing?" Uma asked frantically, trying not to shout. He had taken her by surprise. He had pushed her onto her bed, kissing her, touching her all over desperately as if trying to preserve her.

"Uma, I missed you, I missed you." Rory said frantically as he held her face in his hands. "Your touch, your face, your eyes…" he leaned in and kissed her again, softly as if it was the last time. "I'm so sorry," he said softly as he leaned into her. "I'm so sorry I let it get this way."

"Rory," she whimpered trying to push him off her. "Rory, please, not now, not like this!" she begged as she managed to sit up in her bed. As quickly as he started, he stopped and pushed himself away from her. He sat on the edge of her bed staring at the floor.

Uma's head was spinning. What had just happened? She sat at the head of her bed waiting.

"You love him, don't you?" Rory finally said after a time. "Kaidoh?"

Uma sighed and sank down next to him. This was it. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned against him. "Yes, Rory, I love him." She said solidly without hesitation. And she knew it was true. As much as she had loved dating Rory, loved him, she still couldn't love him like he wanted her to. "You know I love you too, Rory. I always will. But…"

Rory grasped her hand slipped out of her grasp. He stood up and sighed. She didn't need to say it. He already knew. But now, now it seemed…okay.

"I guess that's it then. That's really what I wanted to know." He said as he headed for Uma's door. Uma stood up and followed him into the hall.

"Is it? Is that all Rory?" She asked. She needed to make sure. She had to make sure.

Rory turned around and looked her in the eye. He smiled, a real genuine smile; the same smile that first stole her heart. "Yeah." He said. "Yeah, it is." Uma smiled in return. "Uma Ito, you are one odd person, you know that? And I'm glad I got wrapped up in it. Thank you," he said as he pulled her close for one last kiss. He let her go and walked back to his room. Somehow he really felt lighter.

Uma watched him go with her hands to her lips, silent tears falling down her face. But she was smiling because she knew, this time he meant it.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well, hello again! I apologize for the wait, but I now present to you the very last chapter of _Back to Where It Began_. It actually took me a while to finish this because it's the end and being an overly emotional person, I got kinda sad...*littletear* But, nevertheless, thank you to everyone who's been following the story from the beginning and have commented and encouraged me along the way. You are all awesome! Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over! Please read, review, and enjoy!**

**Standard issued disclaimer applies! Thanks for looking! =)**

**~*~CHAPTER 11~*~**

"Oh man, did I sleep well last night! Aya-mom you have got to tell me the secret to your tea! It knocked me out flat!" Gene exclaimed the next morning. Ayako laughed and pulled out the box of SLEEPY TIME tea she had made. Gene was blown-away. Who knew the Japanese could have the same type of tea as Americans?

"What time were you meeting Kaidoh and Momoshiro, Uma?" Ayako asked as she cleared away the dishes. Uma looked at the clock. It was 10:30.

"In about an hour mom," she said as she stood up from the table and stretched. She didn't sleep well last night, her head was still spinning from Rory's resolve, but yet she felt very at peace.

"What are you going to do before then?" Aya asked she started wiping off the counter.

"Could we maybe go shopping?" Rory asked thoughtfully. Gene dropped the spoon he was using and stared. Rory NEVER wanted to go shopping.

"Really, Rory? You want to go shopping!"

"Well, yeah, I mean, we leave in a couple of days anyway…and I just thought it'd be cool to get Mom and Dad some mementoes," he said thoughtfully. Uma smiled. Rory was such a good son.

"That sounds great! I know this cool little shopping center near the station, we could go there," Uma said. Gene jumped from his chair.

"I'm going to go get my bag! We need to get moving!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, Gene," Uma sighed laughing. "What a goof,"

"That's Gene for you," Rory shrugged as he pushed away from the table and stood up. He walked over and gave Aya a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for breakfast, Aya-mom," he said as Ayako giggled.

"You silly kid! Go! Have fun today!" She said shooing them out of the kitchen. Rory laughed as Gene bounded down the stairs, hair flying, clutching his favorite bag.

"Let's go!" he shouted enthusiastically striking a jaunty pose. Uma and Rory looked at each and struck a pose back, imitating Gene. "Let's go!"

* * *

"Yo, Mamushi-buchou!" Momo called out when he spotted Kaidoh in the station. Kaidoh was leaning against a pillar near the center, staring at the floor. Kaidoh glanced up in Momo's direction and nodded his head in acknowledgement, his thoughts were elsewhere.

Momo slid up to the pillar and leaned against it as well, glancing about the station, watching people as they scurried past. It was such a nice day and he was so excited to talk with Uma's American friends. "Ready for today?" he asked as he pulled out his iPod and stuck the buds in his ear.

Kaidoh hissed in response. Momo rolled his eyes, how typical. "Well, I hope you're more conversational than that when they get here," he said as he cranked up his music.

"What should I do?"

"Huh?" Momo took out an ear bud and turned towards Kaidoh. He blinked; Kaidoh's eyes were wide and filled with an emotion that he couldn't quite place. "What'd you say?"

"What should I do?" Kaidoh said again. Momo stared blankly at Kaidoh, unsure how to answer. It wasn't very often Kaidoh Kaoru let his guard down, especially to him! Momo shook his and cleared his thoughts. He shrugged and pushed off the pillar. He turned to his captain, his rival, his friend and laughed.

"Do what you always do, Mamushi! Sweep her off her feet, tell her you love her, and give her a big smacker!" Momo suggested lightly. That did the trick. Kaidoh snorted and shook his head. He looked up and laughed.

"I knew you wouldn't be any help,"

"Hey, now! You asked, I helped, so go do it!" Momo encouraged. Kaidoh turned towards him and smiled a very rare Kaidoh smile.

"Thanks, Momoshiro, maybe I will,"

"Maybe you should…hey!" Momo had caught sight of Uma. He started waving wildly. "Uma! Over here, over here!" he called out.

Kaidoh looked up and saw her, the girl of his dreams. He looked her dead in the eyes; God he loved her eyes. She looked hesitant, but then, she was coming toward him. She was quickening her paced until she was there jumping into his arms.

"Kaoru," she whispered as she hugged him tight. He blinked in surprised and then quickly hugged her in return. "I'm back," she said. "Forever."

* * *

There his was. He was leaning up against a pillar when they walked into the station. The same pillar he was leaning on when they went on their first date so many years ago. Uma's heart skipped a beat. He looked so good! Momo was standing there next to him chatting away aimlessly when he glanced in their direction.

"Hey! Uma! Over here, over here!" He called out waving dramatically. Kaidoh lifted his head and looked directly into her eyes. Uma felt her breath catch. She clutched Rory's arm.

Rory looked over at her; she was scared. He placed his hand on hers and lifted it off his arm. She looked at him. "Is it really okay?" She asked quickly. Rory blinked, she wasn't scared; she was excited. Her eyes were shining. He smiled and nodded. "Really, it is," he replied.

She let go of his hand. "Thank you," she said softly as she turned towards Kaidoh and Momo who were watching their approach. She quickened her step towards them. As soon as she reached Kaidoh she flung her arms around him and hugged him tight.

Kaidoh blinked in surprised but recovered quickly to return the hug. Momo started grinning ear to ear. Uma was back!

"Whoa, are you okay with that Rory?" Gene asked seriously as the two of them followed up behind Uma. Rory smiled sadly and looked at his long time friend. Gene looked worried.

"Yes, old buddy, it is," he replied. "I went to her last night; I had to let her go." He revealed. Gene's eyes got wide. He couldn't believe it. Rory sighed and watched the exchange in front of them. "She never left really left Japan, you know," he said gesturing towards the group. "She just came back to collect her heart."

"Really?" Rory nodded. Gene whistled, "Wow, Rory, that's so mature of you. I'm sorry, though." Gene flung a sympathetic arm around him. "However," he continued perking up a bit. "I don't ever regret introducing her to you, you know."

Rory laughed. "I know, Gene, I know," he paused. "…And in some way, I think that saved me; from what I could have been."

"So, now what?" Gene asked as they stopped in front of the group. Rory turned to him and laughed.

"Now, we go to lunch!"

"Lunch?" Uma turned back to her two best American friends. "Sounds great! Ready Momo?"

Momo looked at Uma and then at Kaidoh, "Did she mention food?" he asked. Kaidoh nodded, slightly embarrassed. He hissed softly, "Dumb ass…"

* * *

Lunch, much to Uma's surprise, was an entertaining affair. They ended up going to Kawaruma Sushi where Taka-san about fell over in excitement when he saw Uma walk in. They were quickly ushered to a special table where Uma ended up sitting between Kaidoh and Gene. Taka-san was now a full-fledged sushi chef like his father and ended up making their group's lunch. Uma was ecstatic since that meant she could eat as much Ootoro as she wanted. Rory had never eaten sushi before and watched in awe as Momo stuffed his face like a speed demon only to come up for air when his plate was empty.

"Does he always eat like this?" he asked nervously as Momo called out for another plate. Uma shrugged and laughed. "It sure seems like it!"

Kaidoh nodded, "Yeah, I don't know if he ever gets full," Rory looked at Kaidoh a bit surprised. He really didn't expect Kaidoh to speak to him.

"Oh my gosh, Uma, this is so good! I love sushi! And I can't believe how Momo-kun is packing it away!" Gene gushed as he scarfed down another roll. He was having so much fun! He didn't even notice the slight tension between Kaidoh and Rory.

After about an hour of eating and light conversation, mostly about Momo's eating habits and the different varieties of sushi, the group headed out back to the streets discussing what they should do next. Uma wanted to go back and shop, but Gene and Momo were pushing for karaoke. Rory and Kaidoh said nothing and lingered behind them as they walked down the sidewalk.

Rory glanced over at Kaidoh who wore a slight scowl. He knew what Kaidoh was thinking, or at least had an inkling. He sighed. He needed to clear the air with Kaidoh. Rory walked over to Kaidoh and started walking in stride with him. "Hey, Kaoru, you speak English pretty well don't you?" he asked.

Kaidoh narrowed his eyes and glanced over at the American boy. "For the most part, yes. Why?"

Rory sighed and scratched his head. It was now or never. He didn't want tension between him and Kaidoh, he didn't want tension between Kaidoh and Uma. He just wanted closure. He wanted everyone to be happy. "Well, I figure I can go ahead and be straight up with you then."

Kaidoh nodded, "Ah,"

"Listen, I just wanted you to know, I'm done. Uma made her decision and she chose you." He said slowly as if he was letting it sink in.

"Oh, I see," Kaidoh replied. Was this boy serious? He looked over at Momoshiro, Uma, and Gene who were consulting a guidebook Gene had bought. Uma was laughing she looked up and caught his eyes in hers. She smiled. Kaidoh smiled back. Rory saw her smile for him and sighed inwardly. Yeah, she really loved him. Taking a deep breath, Rory pivoted on his heel and turned back towards the group.

"Yep, so I guess I only have one request from you," Rory called over his shoulder. Kaidoh gave him a surprised look and stepped up his pace to walk even with Rory.

"Sure, what is it?" He asked as they approached the group.

Rory paused and touched his forearm. He looked at Kaidoh in the eyes and said "Take good care of her,"

Kaidoh smiled, "That, my good man, will not be hard to do."

Rory laughed and shook his. "No, I suspect it won't." He paused. "But you know she won't let you," he added jokingly.

Kaidoh laughed a little and nodded in agreement. "That's what makes it fun,"

"…you're absolutely right," Rory concluded.

Uma watched the boys approach. She wondered why they had been hanging back. Maybe they were embarrassed of Momo and Gene, who, to put it mildly, were embarrassing. She waved over at them, "Hey! Why are you dawdling over there? Come on! Gene and Momo want to go sing karaoke!"

"Karaoke?" They asked in unison. They looked at each other with slight fear on their faces.

Gene bounded over and linked arms with Rory. "Yes, come on Rory! It'll be so much fun!" He gushed dramatically.

"Well…I…"

Momo joined in on the fun, "C'mon Mamushi-buchou! I bet I sing better than you!" he said as he elbowed Kaidoh in the ribs. Kaidoh hissed. If Momo tried to link arms with him, he'd punch his face.

"…no doubt about that…" Kaidoh muttered in English. Rory heard him and laughed out loud. Was that the first time he admitted defeat? Kaidoh turned to Rory and gave him a warning look. "…but you can't tell him I said that…"

"Like I could!" Rory said backing away slightly. Kaidoh was scary when the attention was put on oneself!

"I would!" Uma said brightly linking arms with Kaidoh. He looked at her with mock fear.

"Uma, you wouldn't!" he asked sarcastically. She just laughed and hugged his arm. He smile and adjusted his arm around her shoulders. Yeah, this was definitely the best spot for his arm.

"Hey now!" Momo said frantically looking at the exchange between Uma, Kaidoh and his new American friends. "You're all speaking English, no fair! No fair!" he pouted. In the restaurant, he hadn't really noticed it, but he just realized everyone was speaking English!

"You need to study harder in class, idiot," Kaidoh said plainly in English. Rory and Gene busted up laughing. Uma rolled her eyes.

"What? What did he say, Uma?" Momo asked pulling on Uma's arm. "What did he say?"

* * *

The rest of the week passed quickly. On the last day of their visit, Uma, Rory, and Gene went to watch the finals of the tournament, where Seigaku managed to pull out another spectacular win. Rory even managed to get into it and cheered for Seigaku. That night, they even joined the team in celebration even though Rory and Gene had no idea what was really going on. Uma had to interpret all night. But, it was totally worth it.

The next morning Uma escorted the boys back to the airport where Kaidoh joined them to send them off back to America. It was a bittersweet ending, Rory decided, to a long and exciting journey. As they poised to enter the customs gate, Rory turned to Uma and gave her one last good-bye.

"Well, Ito, it was one wild ride," he said lightly as he adjusted the strap on his carry-on. He leaned over and gave Uma a squeeze and quick peck on the cheek.

Uma laughed and hugged him back. "It sure was Rory, thanks for being a part of it," she said as she squeezed his hand. She was going to miss him. But, she knew where her heart really was.

"Thanks for letting me be," he smiled in returned. He turned Kaidoh who was standing nonchalantly beside her. He stuck out his hand, "Kaidoh,"

"Yeah?" Kaidoh asked as he gave his hand back. The boys shook.

"It was nice to finally meet you," Rory said as they let go of their hands. "Good luck with tennis, and if you're ever in the States, be sure to look us up," he offered.

Kaidoh nodded. "Will do, thank you Rory," he replied wholeheartedly. They turned back to watch Gene say goodbye to Uma, who, to put it mildly was putting on an awful display of affection.

"Umaaaaa!" Gene wailed as he picked up Uma into a bone-crunching hug.

"Gennnnneeee!" she squealed in return as he swung her around in circles. They both laughed and laughed as people stared. Rory groaned and covered his face. Kaidoh hissed and turned away; too much overkill.

After Gene sat her back down, he wiped away a few tears that had fallen from his eyes. He grasped her hands tightly. "I love you so much, I'm gonna miss you so much!" he blubbered as more tears began to fall. Uma was his best friend in literally the whole wide world. "I'm so glad I helped you to English class!"

Uma laughed and wiped away her own tears. "Gene, I love you too!" she replied back and gave him one more hug.

"C'mon, big boy, we need to get going!" Rory said as he clapped a hand on Gene's shoulder and pulled him away. Gene finally let go and grabbed his things. He was still calling and waving as their entered the Customs Check and he was still calling and waving after they entered the Gate.

Uma was laughing and waving along with him. She sighed and finally turned back to Kaidoh who was staring off into the airport. "Kaoru?"

"Déjà vu," he said quietly looking around.

"Oh?" she asked as she linked arms with him and started walking towards the entrance.

Kaidoh nodded, "The last time I was here was when you were the one getting on that plane," he said softly looking down at her.

Uma looked off into the distance, remembering that day. "That was a pretty awesome kiss," she said after some thought.

Kaidoh blushed and clutched her hand tighter, "You remember that?"

"How could I forget!" Uma laughed. It had been one of the most passion-filled kisses she had ever experienced, even if she was only 14 at the time.

"So," he asked as he pulled her around and hugged her close to him. "Are we gonna make this work?"

Uma wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes and smiled, "Yeah, I think we are,"

"Good, because I don't ever want to let you go again," Kaidoh replied as he leaned down to kiss her. Just before their lips connected Uma answered back softly, "Don't worry, because I don't intend to leave."

_**~*~*~*~A Few Months Later….~*~*~*~**_

"Oh no way!" Uma exclaimed early in morning. She was getting ready for school and had just checked her email. She and Gene had been emailing constantly ever since he and Rory returned from their trip. He emailed her at least once a day. A lot had happened since their last meeting. Rory had gotten himself a new girlfriend, Gene had taken up Japanese language classes, and they were now starting their Senior year of high school. It was weird to Uma, who had already been in senior for half a year now. It was hard to believe she'd be done with high school and off to college.

"What is it Uma?" Ayako called from down the stairs. Uma laughed and called back down.

"Gene just emailed me! He said he had applied for an international study abroad scholarship to study Japanese language in Tokyo next summer! He said he made a list of finalists for the state. Apparently they take one from each state that offers the program! How cool is that?"

"Good for him. I hope he makes it! Gene's such a good boy!" Ayako said happily as she returned to the kitchen. Uma bounded down the stairs in her uniform and grabbed an apple off the counter. "Have you heard from Kaoru lately?" she asked as Uma grabbed her books and started for the door.

Uma paused before heading out. "Yeah, I think he gets back from his tourney in Hawaii tomorrow night." She replied. After Nationals, Kaidoh and Momo, along with Echizen and Arai had been selected to play on the Japanese All Star Team in the International Junior Goodwill Games in Honolulu. Kaidoh and Momo were chosen play doubles.

"That's lovely; you'll have him over right?" Ayako asked without a beat. Ever since the boys' visit, Kaidoh had become like one of the family, coming over to family dinners and interacting with Uma's parents and brothers. Uma's father liked Kaidoh a lot, even though he never said so. Ayako already considered him her sixth son.

"Of course!" Uma replied. She and Kaidoh's relationship had grown a lot since then. It had become their habit to meet down on the riverbank whenever there was a problem, celebration, or they just wanted time to themselves. He could tell her whatever he felt and she would listen. She could confess all her worries and he would sit there and hold her tight. Their conversations, which had started off so random and cliché matured and molded into their futures and their dreams. When Uma looked ahead, she looked at it with Kaidoh by her side. Kaidoh had become that missing piece and she surely wasn't about to let it go. Shaking her head, Uma glanced at the clock on the wall; it was already 8:30! "Hey mom, I gotta go, class starts in thirty minutes!"

"Have a great day, dear!"

"Bye mom!" She called as she bounded out the door. She was excited. Things seemed to be going right for once. As she hurried along the street, her phone buzzed; a text message. She stopped and fished it out of her bag.

Message from Kaidoh, K_. "Momo and I won junior doubles. Will be back tomorrow night around eight. Meet you at the usual place?"_

Uma smiled and snapped her phone shut. Yeah, it was good to be back to where it began.

**~*~EPILOGUE~*~**

It was a few weeks after graduation. Kaidoh and Uma were in Uma's room cleaning and packing. Uma was getting ready to move her stuff into a brand new apartment, closer to campus. Kaidoh was on his hands and knees digging things out from under Uma's bed. Who would have thought a girl would leave so much…stuff under here! As he reached blindly underneath, his hand hit something. He looked under the bed and saw a small cardboard box. He pulled it out and wiped off a small trace of dust. Written on the top in English was the word 'Letters'. Curious, he opened the box and looked inside. There was an array of newspaper clippings, magazine cutouts and envelopes. He picked up one of the envelopes.

"What are these?" he asked as he read the name on the envelope. His eyes got wide; these envelopes were addressed to him!

"What are what?" Uma asked distractedly from her closet. She was trying to gather all her shoes together. She had no idea where all these shoes came from.

"Are these letters?" he asked holding up the envelope. Uma turned around. She froze. He found her box of letters! Quick as a flash she dove for the box, her face a million shades of red.

"No! Don't look in there!" she shouted as she landed with a thud in front of Kaidoh. He had pulled the box just out of her reach.

"Why not?" he asked smugly as he turned away from her and dug through the box. There were several letters to him.

"Because they're mine…." Uma exclaimed as she tried to take the box from him. She managed to hook her fingers on a corner and she pulled. Unfortunately that only caused Kaidoh to lose his grip on the box and the box went flying, sending the letters and clippings everywhere. Uma began to panic. She scrambled across the floor, trying to gather the pieces of paper quickly. "Look what you did! They're everywhere!" she cried out in embarrassment.

Kaidoh picked up one of the envelopes and pulled out one of the letters. "Oh, what's this say…." He started. "_'Dear Kaoru…'_ hey are these for me?" he asked curiously.

Uma hid her faces in her hands. "No, no! Don't read them!" Kaidoh didn't listen, he continued to read the letters; letters she had written to him, letters from the years she spent in America, letters from Uma.

"'_..and I just wanted to say I miss you and I love you and I will see you soon….'"_ Kaidoh paused and looked over at his girlfriend who sat on the floor of her messy room crying tears of embarrassment. He smiled and reached over for her. "Uma,"

"I told you not to read them!" she blubbered as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Are you crying?"

"No! Give them back!" she demanded as she reached for them. Kaidoh turned away and picked up more of the letters.

"No way, these are addressed to me! I'm going to keep them!" he insisted selfishly as he hugged the letters to his chest. This is what he had waited for. For almost four years.

As Kaidoh continued reading through the letters, Uma summoned a bit of strength. "Kaidoh Kaoru! I'm warning you!" she threatened as she picked up a pillow and prepared to strike.

Kaidoh turned to her just as she started to swing. "Uma, did you mean to mail these to me but didn't?" She stopped her swing and let the pillow drop. She looked away.

"I-I couldn't, because, well, it was embarrassing to be honest!" She sputtered as her cheeks turned even redder. "I'd never written a love letter before and the letters you sent me were always so good that I…" She trailed off as Kaidoh started laughing. He couldn't help it. He was so happy right now. Uma glared at him. "Why are you laughing? Don't laugh at me!" and she started crying again.

Kaidoh stood up and walked over to his girlfriend. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I love you," he whispered. And he meant it, every word. This woman was meant for him.

Uma hugged him in return. "I love you too,"

"So I can keep the letters?" he asked as he pressed his cheek to the top of her head.

"Not a chance," she replied into his chest as she tried to pry the letter from his hands. She was horribly unsuccessful. He squeezed her tight and she felt his heart pounding into her chest. She sighed and relaxed into his embrace. Maybe she'd let him keep them after all.

**THE END**


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